“Wilt never did that?” I do not believe it ! I think he did it at one point but it wasn’t recorded.” Joel Embiid couldn't help but let out a big smile, he who often hears the name of Wilt Chamberlain accompany his multiple records, such as his incredible current streak of 21 games in a row with 30 points or more, still far from the 65 consecutive games of “Wilt the Stilt” achieved in 1961/62.
Since that night, however, it is he who is at the top of the hierarchy in the history of the Sixers after this historic 70-point performance for his first duel against Victor Wembanyama, ahead of the 68 of his illustrious elder. He also became the only player in history, with Michael Jordanto have accumulated at least 65 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a game.
As he took the opportunity to once again pay tribute to the immense career of Wilt Chamberlain “one of the greatest to ever play the game”Joel Embiid first had a word for his teammates and his staff.
“It’s nice. Congratulations to all these guys. They are extremely selfless people. They just gave me the ball, and I was hot. They made sure to put me in the best positions. We must also congratulate the staff. I'm just surrounded by amazing people,” did he declare after the meeting.
A pinnacle of mastery, accuracy and basketball IQ
Author of 24 points in the first quarter, he set the tone from the start, and went one better after returning from the locker room by scoring 25 points in the third quarter in addition to having caused the fourth personal foul from “Wemby” . It was at this moment that he was able to shift gears and increase the gap in favor of the Sixers. Then there was his 3-pointer to equal his personal best at 59 points to make the crowd exult, then his crazy “coast-to-coast” to reach the historic mark of 70 points. His mastery, his accuracy and his immense basketball IQ were the markers of his XXL performance.
On the bench, Nick Nurse was unaware of these issues, of Wilt Chamberlain's record and the historic moment that was unfolding before his eyes when the public was overcome by great collective euphoria. On the other hand, he quickly understood that his pivot seemed to be going to strike a big blow.
“The moment it started to hit me must have been the beginning of the third quarter, where I think he made a basket and a 2+1 in the first minute. He was at 34 points at halftime, so he must have been at 39 points after a minute and I figured that was already a lot with almost a half to go, and he was probably going to finish with big stats », he confided before mentioning Wilt Chamberlain's record of 68 points. ” I did not know. I didn't know if it was his record or not. I continued to coach and we must congratulate San Antonio because they played well and there was still time with a ten point lead.”
His only motivation: to dominate
Beyond his record and the “hype” generated by his duel with Victor Wembanyama, Nick Nurse also wanted to recall that what made Joel Embiid strong this season was his consistency. Whatever the level of the adversary or his direct opponent, he was guided by only one goal: to dominate.
“He’s a competitor. I imagine he certainly has extra motivation against certain guys, or during big matches. But I refer you to what he said two or three weeks ago, when he responded that his mindset was to dominate in every match. And that's what I like to hear, that his mindset is to come on the floor game after game to do what he's capable of and to do it with this aggressiveness.”
While San Antonio was still around ten points behind, he was able to put Joel Embiid back into play, and thus allow him to get the franchise record.
“It's clear that I'm always happy when I can rest him throughout the fourth quarter because the game is over at the end of the third. But that wasn't the case tonight. We were up to +19, and then they very quickly came back to 11-12 points, so I knew he was going to have to come back into play.”continued Nick Nurse.
Even if we can imagine that he was impatiently awaiting this face-to-face, Joel Embiid was also in line with his coach's statement, ensuring that this is what makes the difference between the Joel Embiid of this year and that of previous years.
“I just wanted to finish the job. The match was still close, when you're hot, you want to finish the job. That was my intention, to stay aggressive, play attack and defense, make as many stops as possible and try to score, that's what I had in mind.” explained Joel Embiid about his state of mind when he returned to the game in the fourth quarter, before returning to his duel with “Wemby”. “He’s incredible, he’s big. For me, he is already alongside the best players in the league. I wouldn't want to lie to you and say that I wasn't motivated, but that's my state of mind in every match. No matter who is in the room in front of me, my state of mind is to be aggressive, to dominate, offensively and defensively and tonight, that did not change. This is what characterizes my state of mind compared to previous seasons, to be at full strength in every match, not to take any rest, not to neglect any possession, and simply to dominate.”
