Behind The Scenes – The Sixers and Joel Embiid Win Epic Game 3 Against New York Knicks
Last night, the Philadelphia Sixers’ opening-round series of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks finally made its way to South Philly and the Wells Fargo Center.
After starting the series down 0-2, the Sixers desperately needed a win, and they sure delivered last night.
In big-time moments, you need your biggest star to show up, and that is exactly what happened with the Sixers in Game 3.
Joel “The Process” Embiid put the team on his back last night with a 50-point performance, and one for the history books.
Joel Embiid Goes For 50…
Embiid’s big night marked the fifth 50-point playoff game by a 76ers player in team history — joining Allen Iverson and Billy Cunningham.
It was the first time it has happened since A.I. did it for the Sixers in 2003.
Embiid and the Sixers ultimately won the game by a score of 125-114.
The Stars Were Out To See The Sixers…
Needless to say, it left the home crowd walking away impressed — and that is saying a lot because the stars were definitely out for last night’s 76ers game.
Some of the notables include Big Dom, Carmelo Anthony, John Starks, Allen Iverson — passing the torch as Sixers 50-point playoff scorers — Stephen A. Smith, M. Night Shyamalan, Joey Merlino, and David Kelleher from David Auto.
David Kelleher and The Answer were actually chatting it up quite a bit!
Oh, and I can’t forget last night’s bell ringer — CJ Gardner-Johnson!
Admittedly, there were a bit too many New York Knicks fans in the building for my liking, but we shut them up — or Joel did I should say!
Once Joel went off in the third quarter, you hardly heard from the Knicks fans again.
Enjoy that ride back to New York and don’t forget to take that ‘L’ with you!
Game 4 will go down Sunday at 1 p.m.
Let’s even this series up 76ers!
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The Inside Look At Joel Embiid's Historic 70 Point Game
I have been doing the public address announcements for the Philadelphia 76ers for almost three decades. I have seen a ton of cool and historic things over the years. With that being said, I’ve never seen what Joel Embiid did last night at the Wells Fargo Center.
I consider it a privilege to be able to announce for the Sixers in Embiid’s era with the team and in the NBA. It is truly amazing.
What he did last night was truly unreal and there are not enough adjectives to describe his performance.
In case you are living under a rock, or had an early night last night, here’s the headline. The reigning MVP set a Sixers franchise record last night with a 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs.
He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous record of 68 points scored in a single game, which Wilt did in 1967.
For those wondering — Yes, Wilt Chamberlain did, in fact, score 100 points before in a single game for a Philadelphia team. But it was actually with the Philadelphia Warriors, not the 76ers.
Anytime you can beat a record held by Wilt Chamberlain, you know you are amongst the all-time greats.
Well, that is exactly what Joel Embiid did last night.
Oh, and if his 70 points were not enough for you, he also checked in with a career-high in rebounds as well with 18 boards.
Talk about a man on a mission.
Last night was already a special night to begin with. Rookie sensation, Victor Wembanyama, took the court for the first time in his career in Philadelphia.
Wemby is a 7’4” center from France. He is the most highly touted rookie since LeBron James. So you know the building had a buzz to start the night.
Then Joel Embiid took the court, and you could just tell by his body language that he was going to dominate.
However, I don’t think anyone in the building could predict just what he was going to do.
Speaking of people in the building, the stars were out to see the game last night, including M Night Shyamalan, Charlie Mack, Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley, Michael Schulson, Michael Rubin, Tyrone and Denise Maxey, the 6th man Alan Horwitz, and Jumaine Jones — who actually rang the bell as well!
I think it is safe to say that they all left impressed.
I know I did — so much so that Good Day Philadelphia is sending a cameraman to the MGK studios to get my reaction!
Congrats to Joel Embiid on a historic night, and I can’t wait to see what he does next!
If they let him play all 48 minutes in one game, I am sure he can break Chamberlain’s record of 100 points one day!
Enjoy the social media reactions and sights on sounds from my perspective last night below!
Matt Cord is the host of the Matt Cord Show. He is a lover of all Philly Sports and has been the voice of the Sixers for 27 years and NBA2K for the past 4 years. As a cyclist enthusiast, Matt writes about his adventures all throughout the city.
