Joel Embiid was back to his old trolling ways on Saturday after completing his team’s comeback from down 3-1 against the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers star looked physically worn down throughout Game 7 of their first-round series at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Embiid hit the hardwood several times and survived players crashing into his ailing knee during a hard-fought 109-100 win over the Celtics.
Many wondered if Embiid would be healthy enough to play in Game 1 against the New York Knicks, which takes place less than 48 hours after Saturday’s Game 7.
Based on Embiid’s comments during his postgame press conference, it doesn’t sound like he’s in danger of missing much time. The 76ers center claimed he was “faking” being hurt the entire time in his series against the Celtics.
“I felt great. I feel amazing. I was faking it,” Embiid said when asked how his body felt as the series progressed.
Joel Embiid: "I felt great. I feel amazing. I was faking it" 😂 pic.twitter.com/YWFEgO0dAg
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 3, 2026
Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy on April 9, just weeks before he suited up for his series debut in Game 4. He played at least 34 minutes in all four contests, which have all come on just one day’s rest in between games.
It’s hard to imagine his body not feeling beat up by the grueling physical demands of playoff basketball. But with Embiid finally exorcising his leprechaun-shaped demons in Game 7, he may not feel any of his aches and pains until at least the morning.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s odd tactic of starting an undersized center and sitting Nikola Vucevic entirely may have helped lessen Embiid’s physical burden in Game 7 as well.
