Following the Philadelphia 76ers’ 111-104 Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks, there are concurrent optimistic and pessimistic ways to view the rest of this first-round series. In the Sixers’ favor, they look to be the superior team when Joel Embiid is on the court. The big man was a plus-14 in his 36-plus minutes, and even if you ascribe to Joel looking better pre-late-second quarter spill and exit, the Sixers still outscored the Knicks by 15 points in the third quarter when Embiid played all but three seconds.
The flip side is obvious to anyone who felt the cold feeling of dread grip their heart when Joel hit the floor.