PHILADELPHIA — Editor's note: The above video is from May 5.
Hope springs eternal, and hope is just what fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have, again.
According to Shams Charnia, NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid has cleared the concussion protocol, and is hoping to play in tonight's Game 3 of the team's series against the Miami Heat tonight at 7:00 p.m. in Philadelphia.
On Thursday, the Sixers ruled Embiid out for Game 3, but he cleared the protocol on Friday morning.
Embiid, 28, missed the first two games of the series after suffering an orbital fracture and a mild concussion via the elbow of Raptors forward Pascal Siakim during Philadelphia's Game 6 win in the first round of the playoffs.
Without Embiid, Philadelphia has struggled both offensively and defensively, allowing Miami to get out to a relatively easy 2-0 series lead.
The team is hoping that getting the NBA's leading scorer from the regular season will provide the boost they need to get back in the series.
In the first round, Embiid averaged a double-double with 26.2 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game.
Both James Harden and Tyrese Maxey missed Embiid, who is also dealing with a thumb injury. The Philly guards couldn't find a way to get a split at Miami, the top seed in the East, without the five-time All-Star.
The Sixers weren't closer than eight points in the fourth quarter of the first two games, and Maxey sees the first quarter as the key to changing that.
“When we go home with the crowd on our side, we’ve got to hit first,” Maxey said after the 119-103 loss in Game 2. “Coach Doc said something in the locker room before the game about, ‘Let’s not be a counterpunching team tonight.’ I think that really hit home. We’ve got to go after them first and put them on their heels.”
Philadelphia is battling history, too.
Miami has taken a 2-0 lead in 18 previous series, including the first round this season against Atlanta, and won the matchup every time. The 76ers have dropped the first two games 19 previous times, never recovering to win the series.