Joel Embiid: 'I was built' for playoff basketball
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid only has one playoff game under his belt, but he's not phased.
Embiid scored 23 points while donning a pesky mask during his playoff debut, and that was enough for the confident Cameroonian to conclude that postseason basketball will not be a problem. He's convinced that his physicality will carry him through tighter defenses.
"I feel like I'm one of the most physical players in the league - I love contact, I love attacking, I love going to the free-throw line," the 7-foot-2 Embiid told Ian Begley of ESPN.
"I live for these moments. I thrive in this type of atmosphere and I think I was built for this, especially playoff basketball."
Embiid started slowly as he adjusted to his mask, but he came alive in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat on Thursday as he drained a tough three and a turnaround jumper to kill any attempt at a comeback in Game 3. He thoroughly outplayed Hassan Whiteside, and was a clear positive on both ends.
Afterward, Embiid was more than happy to talk trash on the postgame podium, and save for a bit of soreness in his recently recovered orbital bone, Embiid continued to be unbothered after practice Friday.
"I need about five massages today. It hurts," Embiid said of his face. "But it's the NBA. I'm trying to get back in the groove."