Joel Embiid was fouled and scored, so in celebration he started pointing up and down, conducting the orchestra, silencing the Boston crowd. T.J. McConnell interrupted Embiid's joyful moment with a powerful, adrenaline-fueled push that stopped Embiid in his tracks.
This was the only thing stopping Embiid on Thursday night. This was a day the Sixers center had been awaiting for a long time. An hour before tip-off, after rallying a legion of Sixers fans, celebrities and Philadelphia Eagles to support him in his All-Star starting quest, the feat was completed and he was named a starter.