Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt last night saying this dude, about a week and a half ago, draft a half 100.

  • He dropped a half 100.

  • But what he saw last night in a 40 point outing was even better.

  • And it's time for Embiid to be in the M V P Chase.

  • Yeah, I thought the 50 point game against Toronto a week and a half ago was his signature moment to thrust himself to the head of the M V P conversation.

  • But that was nothing compared to this game.

  • I mean, he did everything humanly possible on both ends of the floor that a guy needs to to say I'm the M V p in this league, and I don't think it's close right now, Scott, based on the fact that the Sixers are number one in the East, and I can't imagine what this team would look like without what Joel Embiid has become and J as you mentioned, not just 40 and 19, but one thing that I guess all big men have to be able to do now.

  • But he does with incredible proficiency, game tying three late in regulation to send it to O.

  • T at that sides.

  • I mean, he's a He's the most skilled big man I've ever seen.

  • I mean, I've never seen a big man at that sides, like £260.

  • The way he's able to move being healthy, have that kind of touch around the rim.

  • And the footwork is, you know, the reason why people compare him to a chemo, chemo Elijah and to a degree is because of the footwork because of the dexterity that it has its so graceful forgot that size and legs brings up a great point, which is, Look, I still have James Harden slight advantage like I have James Harden.

  • One a.

  • And now I have Joel Embiid 18.1 right, like it's LeBron James is still right there, too.

  • But I think LeBron James has lost a little bit of that due to the skid that they went on when a Dee and Dennis Schroder weren't there.

  • But like what I'm saying, this is also fluid.

  • This is going to change but do well and be that I've never seen anything like it, and he's healthy He's healthy.

  • He's played almost all their games, and that's the difference between this year and years prior.

  • Can he keep it up, though?

  • Can he keep the momentum?

  • The goodwill that he has now with the Philadelphia 76 ers and Glenn Rivers?

  • Can he can he keep?

  • There's going to make you feel like in the end he's gonna have his team right there in the Eastern Conference final, ahead of Milwaukee and right there with Brooklyn, you know, I think he can.

  • And here's why.

  • I like it because it's also mentality.

  • You know, A couple of years ago, everybody would say, Well, dwelling.

  • But are you the villain?

  • Are you the guy that's always going to Are you gonna guy that's going to joke around after games like You don't care?

  • You're gonna take it seriously?

  • Are you the guy that after you lost in Toronto when I made that shot that was crying in the hallway, where it looked like it meant something to you?

  • Like it was serious, like you?

  • I know.

  • But these are the narratives that starts spinning around, and there were a lot of times key to where, like you look at job like Come on, we'll just take take this damn thing.

  • Serious, like, wanted.

  • All I'm saying is he he still has the antics, which I like, but he takes it serious like last night.

  • People aren't gonna recognize because it happened in O t.

  • He makes a step back shot to get them to overtime.

  • And then essentially, um, you know, he flops, right?

  • Uh, one of the players ud Gabeira hits him with a little bit of slight elbow, and he just flops to the ground and goes down.

  • And Donovan Mitchell starts barking back at the ref.

  • Right?

  • But the ref doesn't really react, And then joy and he gets up, and he's like, Oh, ref, Ref, you don't see him up like implies to the ref.

  • Tee him up.

  • The ref then listens to Donovan more and tease Donovan up.

  • And then, in a matter of seconds afterwards, Donovan still barking and then the rough tease him up again for a second tech do All goes over to them, hug them, is talking trash to him, and Donovan gets ejected, right?

  • I mean, it leads to the but these are antiques that are part of me now likes about Joel and be like he will play into it even more and get you to be uncomfortable with yourself.

  • But while he's taking the game seriously and playing hard and showing you the durable, let me give you one quick story.

  • And by the way, if you listen to Jay, yes, two technicals, both in overtime.

  • That's not something you see doesn't happen to technicals in over to look now you can't see it, but Joel Embiid is literally following them over.

  • Donovan Mitchell is going out, not knocks over the Gatorade pour Gatorade bottle.

  • Didn't do nothing to you, Donovan, but like that's That's how Joel and B can also and then Joel and be, well, tweet you.

  • Afterwards, he tweeted, quote tweeted Donovan afterwards like he keeps that fire going.

  • That's who.

  • Joel Embiid is.

  • The last thing I would tell you.

  • A quick story.

  • Gary Parrish is great college basketball writer.

  • J.

  • I'm sure you know he's the afternoon drive host on our affiliate in Memphis.

  • I know you went on our Memphis station the other day 97 9.

  • Memphis, We love Memphis.

  • Do you love us?

  • That is true.

  • John Moran territory, baby.

  • He gave a quick story here.

  • You guys remember we're gonna get to NFL talk here in just one minute.

  • Do you remember how big the hype was when Andrew Wiggins went to Kansas?

  • I know he's turned out to be the NBA player.

  • They thought.

  • Do you remember the hype for Andrew Wiggins?

  • Big coming from Canada?

  • This guy's gonna change, right?

  • Right.

  • So Gary said he was out there doing it.

  • Be at practice.

  • He was at a practice and he said, You know, obviously is they're probably doing a story on Wiggins, right?

  • You know, season preview type thing.

  • How great is this guy going to be?

  • And he went over to build self and he said, What do you think he goes is really good, Really, he goes, but he goes.

  • The best player we're ever going to have here is over there.

  • Nobody knew him because everybody was there to do the story in Wiggins and Gary said he turned around.

  • He's like the best player you've ever had here.

  • You know, we dudes have run through Kansas and the bill, so he looked over there and some some do like Joel Embiid was just sitting there shooting some free throws and now you think about it.

  • How right self was all of the hype.

  • All of the hype was on Wiggins, but he just casually turned to Gary and said, Not best guy right there.

  • You can see it right away.

  • And I think it's finally coming to fruition, especially because the health has been the biggest thing.

  • That's the biggest thing he's had to overcome, and he's been able to overcome it this year.

  • Agreed.

  • And and Benson is defensively has been a dog.

  • No, he's been, If you watch the game he played against Luca Donk donk, is it?

  • Don chick on chick.

  • Do me a favor, Luca Luca, There you go.

  • You're good enough to be good enough to beat you until you get it.

  • Practicing a little bit.

  • Just a big boost.

  • Bitch.

  • Sound like my God perk Luca what he did to Lucca, though.

  • I mean, it's you see how special the talent Ben Simmons have.

  • And now that we're surrounded with guys like shooters like Seth Curry and company Wait, Tobias Harris is playing.

  • They are a team to contend for world defensive standpoint, though being a bigger guard gives a smaller.

  • Either smaller guards struggle with that or big guys struggle with it because of the same size.

  • I'm assuming exactly what you have been.

  • And then after being goes off, he had Matisse table that he comes in and then he gives you the same kind of effort defensively, which is scary.

  • Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube.

  • Live streaming sports and premium content subscribed to ESPN plus right now.

ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt last night saying this dude, about a week and a half ago, draft a half 100.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it