On April 23, Beijing time, the 76ers swept the Nets to advance to the next round, and their second-round opponents will be the winners of the Celtics and Hawks. Despite sweeping the cuts, there was bad news: Embiid's knee injury was worse than expected, and his chances of returning in the next round were only 50% at best.
Before the G4 game against the Nets, Rivers said he wasn't sure when Embiid would return, adding that Embiid could take a while to recover. "They checked Embiid's knee immediately after the G3 race because he said there was some soreness behind the knee, which was a terrible thing, his knee was already swollen and we did an MRI (MRI) and I hate the word MRI."
Embiid faced the Nets in G3, scoring 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting and suffering a knee injury in the game. The 76ers sweeping the Nets would free up Embiid with more time off. They have been eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for five consecutive seasons or earlier, and with or without Embiid, it will be a serious challenge to break through the next round. If the Green Army knocks out the Hawks, they will be the next opponent for the 76ers.
Of course, the 76ers need Embiid to recover as soon as possible to have a chance to take on the Green Army. Embiid averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in the regular season, and injuries also limited Embiid's career attendance. He has never played more than 68 games in a season, and only 4 out of 9 years have he played at least 60 games.
After the game, Rivers said Embiid had a 50 percent chance of being ready for the second round. The opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals could begin next weekend.