BATTLE OF THE BIGS 😤 Breaking down Joel Embiid vs. Karl-Anthony Towns in the playoffs | NBA Today

0:00 Let's get to the East Series, right?

0:02 Recap the game of the weekend.

0:04 Game seven showdown.

0:07 Celtics hosting the Sixers in game seven.

0:09 Stole the troll.

0:10 Paul George carrying momentum from game six early on here.

0:14 Okay, young PT.

0:15 He shot the ball brilliantly in the series.

0:17 He did.

0:18 All right, fresh.

0:24 That back is confirmed.

0:25 You know why?

0:25 He had to guard Joel Embiid for multiple possessions.

0:28 in the post.

0:29 Look, trying to box him out too.

0:31 Yeah.

0:31 And and by the way, he'll address

0:32 that momentarily on from his video cast or podcast.

0:35 Here he is trying to

0:36 Joy Embiid is a massive

0:40 trying to guard him there.

0:43 Yep.

0:45 All right.

0:45 Now, here's Paul George going to work.

0:47 Come on.

0:49 55% on threes in that series.

0:52 Play.

0:51 I remember when they made those Tik Tok recaps of his game with the music.

0:56 Yeah.

0:56 A little slow-mo.

0:57 Yeah.

0:58 Yeah.

0:58 Shade A or something like that.

0:59 Here's the rook Edge.

1:02 How do you not love that?

1:03 Early in the fourth and bead still feeling it.

1:07 And we'll hear more here from Jaylen Brown.

1:12 I ain't never seen him that dominant.

1:16 He was dominant from uh physical standpoint, passing the ball.

1:21 Obviously, he's been more athletic in the past, but I give him credit.

1:25 So, Boston down five here.

1:28 Brown gets the jumper and now Maxi with a tough layup and finish.

1:32 That's how they separated.

1:32 It's really turning on the Jets.

1:34 Billy advances to the semis to take on the Knicks.

1:37 Embiid with 3412 and six.

1:39 Maxi with 30 11 and seven.

1:43 Let's take a listen after the game.

1:47 The Sixers had never won a playoff series when trailing three to one.

1:50 Their 18 losses without a win were the most in NBA history.

1:54 Meanwhile, the Celtics had never lost a playoff series when leading 3 to1.

2:00 Their 32 wins without a loss were also the most in NBA history.

2:04 So, Brian, what does this mean for Philly

2:06 here now that we've seen this version of Joel?

2:08 Well, first off, there's just a personal score to settle because

2:11 they've been blocked by these Celtics for most of the last decade.

2:15 Okay.

2:16 Secondly, there have been so many times where things have gone

2:18 against Philly where they got guy got injured at the wrong time.

2:22 They had the wrong match up at the wrong time.

2:23 Somebody had a slump at the wrong time.

2:25 Somebody got suspended at the wrong time or whatever.

2:28 And now it was the other.

2:29 Now it was Joel Embiid healthy at the right

2:31 time and Paul George healthy at the right time.

2:33 And unfortunately Jason Tatum getting ruled out at the right time.

2:36 It all lined up for them and they took advantage of it.

2:40 What brilliant play from Maxi and Embiid in this moment.

2:43 I don't care how many games they got.

2:45 I don't care who's eligible or who's available and who's not.

2:48 To go on the road and both have 3010 and five games.

2:52 Yeah, that's historic.

2:53 basketball.

2:53 So, they had a moment where things lined up

2:55 in their favor and then they delivered on that moment.

2:58 And guess what?

2:59 They're no longer the number seven seed.

3:02 They beat the two seed and I know

3:03 that they don't get homecourt advantage, but in my mind,

3:06 they have as much of a chance to win this series

3:08 and win the Eastern Conference if that man stays healthy as anybody else.

3:12 So, Wendy, you're basically saying they inherited the two seat by

3:17 I couldn't disagree more.

3:18 So when Joel's playing like that, they're they're uns he's unstoppable.

3:21 And this is going to be a tough match up against the Knicks.

3:24 Uh but yeah, this is in their favor.

3:25 This means the world to the fans.

3:26 Like 44 years, you know how long they've been waiting to beat the Celtics.

3:30 Yeah.

3:30 And it's kind of not right up the road,

3:32 but there's another series that's right up the road, the Knicks,

3:34 where last time they played went seven games and they

3:36 had more Knicks fans in the arena than they did, you know, Philly fans.

3:39 So Joel said, "If you need the money,

3:40 I got you." I don't know if he's serious about that or not,

3:42 but he's trying to help, you know, Philly fans get tickets.

3:44 But this is going to be a great match up when

3:45 when they're playing at this this level and they're all healthy.

3:48 This is not a 17.

3:49 Like Brian said, this is a top three team in the league.

3:51 So I have trust issues with both of the teams,

3:53 the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

3:56 They didn't shy away from the moment.

3:58 They actually attacked it.

3:59 Joel Embiid attacked it.

4:01 He's not that guy that's going to go and do the volleyball swap, ping your back,

4:04 you know, ping your shots on the backboard, but he was looking for those.

4:08 He was hunting those mismatches.

4:10 He was, you know, pursuing that contact because

4:12 he was the bigger guy on the floor.

4:14 And so for Philly, they're a wild card.

4:16 It's hard to trust them.

4:18 But when they do have their players available,

4:20 it's interesting to see the confidence that they're playing with and how

4:23 it's actually at the right time, as you said, Wendy.

4:25 All right.

4:26 Next up for Philly though is the Knicks and Carl Anthony Towns, right?

4:31 Him and the Knicks and Joelle have had some uh some history,

4:35 let's call it history.

4:37 Yep.

4:38 October 2019, Wolves in Philly and a scuffle

4:41 between Embiid and Cat erupted into a fullout brawl.

4:44 Well, WWE Yep.

4:45 Both players were bringing up bold stuff.

4:48 Yeah.

4:48 Yeah.

4:48 They patched this up.

4:49 They patched this up.

4:50 Yeah.

4:50 Yeah.

4:50 Barbs were traded on social media, by the way, at that time as well.

4:54 You may remember this was peak Troel Embiid era.

4:58 Yeah.

4:58 So, Embiid and Towns will meet in the playoffs for the first time ever tonight.

5:04 Embiid has won nine of their 14 career meetings during the regular

5:08 season and he also averages more points assists per game than Towns does.

5:12 So Chennai and Danny, what do you got on these guys?

5:14 Hold on, Danny.

5:15 Have you seen that Tik Tok trend?

5:17 Show me how you square up.

5:18 Show the camera how you square up.

5:18 How you square up?

5:19 All right.

5:19 How you square these two?

5:21 This is going to be a real square up matchup, especially in the paint.

5:25 It's literally comes down to the centerpieces because

5:28 they are focal points for both of their teams.

5:30 One Joel Embiid and one Carl Anthony Towns.

5:32 And it's not just scoring.

5:33 It's also playmaking for both of them.

5:35 I'm going to take New York.

5:37 You're going to take Philly, right?

5:38 Got to represent a squad, your former squad.

5:40 All right, let's start with Cat, the big man,

5:42 because in order to be successful, he has to continue to attack.

5:45 And it's not just scoring.

5:46 It's playmaking.

5:47 Thank the Lord that they have focused on him as the offensive hub.

5:51 Look at it.

5:51 He can palm the ball.

5:52 He has tremendous vision.

5:53 This play right here is a flex action where you set

5:55 a back screen and you're going to get the easiest shot in basketball.

5:58 OG had a great final game in this series.

6:01 He exploded because of dimes like this from Cat.

6:04 But Cat, when I say attack, he's got to flex on him.

6:07 He shoots the three ball so well.

6:08 You got to bring your defender outside the three-point line.

6:11 He's so great at direct line drives.

6:13 He's going to get the contact.

6:14 He's going to get the pursuit by Joel Embiid.

6:16 Finishing through contact is the separator for him.

6:20 Thank the Lord that New York has decided to go to their centerpiece.

6:22 He's had two triple doubles in this postseason.

6:25 We might get some more.

6:26 Yeah, I mean this is going to be one of one for the ages.

6:28 This matchup we have not seen in the playoffs before.

6:30 with Joel Embiid playing at this level and he's

6:32 also found ways to make plays in double teams.

6:34 He struggled.

6:35 Let's go to the clip.

6:36 This is where he's excelled and opened up his game.

6:38 He's got mismatches.

6:39 He's played so well that they couldn't

6:41 play Vousvich in this series on game seven.

6:43 But you see he's watching where the double team is coming.

6:45 Usually not so great.

6:46 Sees the doubles coming from here.

6:47 Sees where it's coming.

6:48 The guys, they're also moving without the ball.

6:49 Great.

6:50 Kelly Ubé sees that.

6:51 Follows him behind suit.

6:52 Easy to make that pass over the top.

6:54 We'll see how he does in this series against the double teams.

6:56 But he's getting a steady dive and getting used to it.

6:58 Also, if you play him one-on-one, you know he's gonna get easy basket.

7:01 He knows how to square up.

7:02 He got jab step.

7:03 He got euro steps.

7:04 He knows how to get fouls.

7:05 Cat is one thing he struggles with is staying out of foul trouble.

7:07 He's also a bully.

7:08 He's going to big body you bully you into the paint.

7:10 And he might sell a call if you give him a little bump,

7:12 but you let him get this deep is barbecue chicken.

7:15 And also, he will sell the call and get you a foul trouble.

7:18 So, Cat, it's going to be a challenge for him not

7:20 to get in foul or stay out of foul trouble in this series.

7:22 That's a very nice way of saying it.

7:23 According to Jaylen Brown, he had different words,

7:25 but you said he can sell the call.

7:27 Sell the call.

7:27 But you know what they can also do?

7:28 These guys can assist.

7:29 We're actually seeing their best ever seasons

7:31 in the postseason with careerh highs playmaking.

7:33 Joel Embiid at seven assists per game and Carl Anthony Towns at six.

7:38 So this is truly a you know the Spider-Man, right?

7:41 Yeah.

7:41 The Spider-Man meet two great centers, two elite centers.

7:44 They point at each other.

7:45 They don't you get a point.

7:47 Check out this moment though in the Sixers locker

7:50 room after their game seven win with Nick Nurse.

7:54 Come on.

7:55 One down.

7:55 One down.

7:56 21.

7:58 Enjoy this one till midnight.

7:59 Then we got to shift gears.

8:01 That's game seven of possible 28.

8:04 Okay.

8:05 We're getting better and better all the time.

8:06 Let's just keep keep improving.

8:09 Sixers.

8:09 1 2 3.

8:11 WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.

8:11 I saw the VJ Edgecom impression.

8:13 You're the You're the teammate.

8:14 No, I'm not that good.

8:15 Come on, guys.

8:16 One, one, one more.

8:17 Watch.

8:17 One down.

8:18 One down.

8:18 One down.

8:18 Job bead.

8:19 It's always good.

8:20 But yeah.

8:21 All right, Danny.

8:21 You were coached by Nick Nurse.

8:23 You guys won a championship.

8:24 You won a game seven.

8:25 How long did he give you to celebrate?

8:27 Uh, it was supposed to be midnight, but I don't if you've seen the next round.

8:29 We went down 02.

8:32 But it is hard to turn the page.

8:33 You won that game seven emotional win.

8:35 The city was erupted like erupt.

8:37 The building erupted as you see the friendly bounce on that city erupted.

8:40 I've never seen him yell like that.

8:42 The squire that R.J.

8:43 got.

8:43 So, all of us going crazy.

8:45 Um, it took some time to to turn the page, but we had to, you know,

8:49 right away you got to go to Milwaukee, play the top seed on the road.

8:53 We end up losing the first two games.

8:54 Fred had his baby and then we end up winning four straight in the meeting here.

8:58 Yeah, it was tough to, you know,

8:59 and Philly fans did not like me when I got to Philly after that because of this.

9:02 So, it was it was took an adjustment period of time to be

9:04 welcomed by the organization and the fans because we had beaten them previously.

9:08 But on the flip side of it,

9:09 we end up beating Toronto in a series when I was there.

9:11 So, I made it up.

9:12 I've seen this go both ways.

9:13 I have seen teams come off of very emotional

9:15 game sevens go into the next series and go flat.

9:17 And I have seen them,

9:18 especially for a team's been waiting, keep the momentum going.

9:21 So, who knows?

9:23 Brian, what's the match up in round two you're most looking forward to?

9:25 Joel Embiid.

9:26 Joel Embiid has the possibility of endless and I

9:29 don't know whether he's going to make it through tonight

9:31 or he could be taking him to the finals.

9:33 We'll see.

9:35 I mean, for me, uh, that's a tough one.

9:38 I mean, I'd love to see when he's in Minnesota.

9:40 I don't know if Anthony Edwards is going to play or not.

9:42 Um, I have to say this Knicks Sixers matchup

9:44 is going to be the the the series for me.

9:47 Um, you know, Detroit and Cleveland,

9:48 they were so up and down, predictable like Wendy Wendy said.

9:52 Uh, Lakers OKC is a little seems a little lopsided.

9:55 So does Spurs and Minnesota.

9:57 So I'm thinking of the Knicks.

9:58 I have a friendly series.

9:59 I have to agree because both teams are like, "Oh my gosh, we have a chance.

10:03 Whoever comes out of this can make it to the NBA

10:05 finals." So whether it's Carl Vinnie Towns or Joel Embiid,

10:08 those guys have great.

10:08 You know, there's a six seed and a seven seed still playing.

10:11 You guys are thinking that it's not going to be interesting.

10:12 Of course it's going to be interesting.

10:14 That's the NBA playoff.

10:15 Just when you think you know what's going to happen,

10:17 that's when you get embarrassed.

10:18 It's unpredictable.

10:19 True.

10:19 This is why the man doesn't make predictions.

10:21 Yeah.

10:21 That's why I don't do I don't do pics.

10:22 You know what I do?

10:23 Manifestations.