PHILADELPHIA — There were still neon-yellow digits ticking off the scoreboard as Joel Embiid trudged away from the Wells Fargo Center floor, directly down the tunnel to the 76ers’ locker room, leaving Philadelphia’s victory song, his playoff career-high 50 points and his team’s 125-114 Game 3 victory over the visiting Knicks in his wake.
He slunk into the reclining chair at his dressing area when reporters were admitted into the vicinity. Two hulking red bins of freezing water waited to soak his feet. Philadelphia’s longtime trainer, Kevin Johnson, already left a pile of black tape, adhesives, towels, scissors, and a bulky Breg knee brace next to the reigning NBA MVP.