Reports Make Joel Embiid’s Status for Celtics Series Sound Bleak

Stop me if you have heard this before, but the Sixers’ playoff future hinges on the status of an injured Joel Embiid. And based on the latest reports regarding Embiid’s status, it doesn’t sound good for the Sixers. Shams reported on Saturday afternoon that the LCL that was originally reported as not serious is in fact, more serious than anyone originally thought.

A grade one LCL sprain would have Embiid on target to return for game 1. A grade 2 sprain which by definition is the next level of “more serious” than a grade 1, is generally considered to be about a month-long rehab. That, obviously, would be no bueno for the Sixers since it would mean no Embiid for the entirety of the second round.

Earlier in the day, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said if he were a betting mad, he’d say that Embiid was doubtful for at least game 1. That, too, does not sound promising. Is it all grandstanding by the Sixers to keep the Celtics guessing? Maybe. Anything is possible, but…

Odds Suggest Vegas Thinks Embiid is Out Game 1, At Least

As of Saturday night, the Celtics are 9-point favorites over the Sixers in game 1, and their odds to win the series are currently -350. The Sixers, meanwhile, are +260 to win the series. For those of you who don’t bet much, those odds mean someone would have to bet $350 on the Celtics in order to win $100. Conversely, you’d win $260 if you bet $100 on the Sixers to win the series, and they pulled it off. So the Sixers are almost 3:1 to win the series.

Even with a healthy Embiid, the Celtics would have been favored to win the series, but a nine-point line in game one suggests that Vegas thinks there’s no chance that Embiid plays that game.

Vegas usually knows this stuff better than anyone. If there was a chance Embiid was suiting up on Monday night, the line probably would be a lot lower than it is right now because it would be a great line for anyone who has the Sixers if he ends up playing.

Everything Was Lined Up for the Sixers

This might have been the best chance for the Sixers to win a championship if they had a healthy Embiid, but unfortunately, it looks like another playoff run for the Sixers could be derailed by a less-than-healthy Embiid – if they have him at all.

Jimmy Butler and the Heat took out the Bucks when Giannis missed most of the series in an eight versus one upset. The Knicks, the Heat’s second-round opponent, are 2-16 against the Sixers when Embiid plays over the course of his career. There isn’t any clear-cut front-runner in the West standing in anyone’s way of a championship, either.

Instead, it looks like the Sixers will face a Celtics team that they don’t match up well to begin with while playing with one arm behind their backs. Doc Rivers has actually done a pretty good job when forced to use under-manned lineups, but this would be a tall order for any coach, let alone one whose had as many playoff failures as Rivers.