Victorious this night against the Sixers, the Warriors had all the trouble in the world to contain Joel Embiid. In a post-match press conference, Draymond Green explained that he had unwittingly motivated the Philly pivot. Explanations.
46 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 57% shooting. Joel Embiid did Joel Embiid again tonight against Golden State. Another monstrous performance for the Sixers star, who obviously had his teeth against the Dubs. Asked after the match, Draymond Green explained that he was the basis of this motivation boost in Jojo. Indeed, Dray had explained that Nikola Jokic was the hardest player to defend in the NBA. The Joker’s rival in the MVP race, Embiid therefore took this sentence as a challenge and went to demolish the Warriors racket.
Joel Embiid had 46 points against Warriors tonight.
Draymond Green: “He said, ‘You know why I played like that tonight? You said Joker was the hardest person to guard in the league. I took that personal.’” pic.twitter.com/Rd8a2eXTyo
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 25, 2023
“He said to me: ‘Do you know why I played like that tonight? You said the Joker was the toughest player to score in the league. I took it personally.”
We are right in one of the big debates of the moment with the fight for the MVP. Less than three weeks from the end of the regular season, the fight is raging for the big statuette and we are heading straight for a three-way duel between Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s hard to really know who will win, but Green seems to think that Jojo has taken a slight advantage over the competition, even if nothing is won.
“Joel has certainly created a small gap, but you have to change the minds of voters. For the past two years, voters have favored Jokic, who has won every time. It’s hard to change anyone’s mind about anything”.
The suspense remains and the direct confrontations will undoubtedly make a big difference in the minds of these same voters. This is good, the duels between the main concerned are coming in the next few days.
Source texte : The Athletic