Crossover World

  The 2021-22 All-NBA teams were officially announced by the league on Tuesday. Reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was named to the First Team, along with Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Antetokounmpo was the only player to receive All-NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots.  All of the players that were named to the First Team are 27 years old or younger, which marks the first time that has happened since the 1954-55 season, per the league. Based on that stat, it seems safe to say that the future of the league is in good hands. With his selection, Dončić became the fourth player in league history to be named to the First Team at least three times before turning 24. The other three players were Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant and Max Zaslofsky.   The Second Team is headlined by Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who led t...

  Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid did not win the NBA's Most Valuable Player award this season, but he is now officially an MVP: Most Valuable Philadelphian. On Thursday, the Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution to honor Embiid for his accomplishments this season. Here's part of the resolution, per Anna Orso of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Whereas, Joel Embiid has been a dedicated team member of the Philadelphia 76ers for years, has gained numerous accolades, and led the team through numerous games and tough battles on the way to victory, and Whereas, Joel Embiid is deserving of the distinction of MVP, now, therefore, be it Resolved by the council of the city of Philadelphia that it hereby celebrates Joel Embiid as MVP: "Most Valuable Philadelphian." Further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Joel Embiid as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body. You can understand where the city council w...

  Joel Embiid was overjoyed when the Philadelphia 76ers finally traded Ben Simmons away to the Brooklyn Nets and brought former MVP James Harden to the team. Embiid has never played with an offensive wizard like James Harden before and was naturally expecting Harden to be the one to shoulder the offensive load alongside him. However, the 2022 Playoffs proved that Harden can't do that anymore. Even when Embiid was off the court, Harden kept playing passively while Tyrese Maxey had games where he had heavy contributions offensively. Harden was muted all playoff long, except for his 30-point explosion to beat Miami in Game 4.  Embiid had a harsh declaration on his teammate, openly saying that Harden's prime was behind him and he was now a playmaker. Joel didn't expect Harden to come with this mindset and seemed evidently disappointed during his post-game interview. "I'm sure since we got him, everybody expected the Houston James Harden, but that's not who he is an...

  Their 112-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night was a notable one for the Philadelphia 76ers. First of all, with the win, the Sixers clinched a postseason appearance for a firth straight season -- a solid streak. Postseason seeding in the Eastern Conference remains up in the air, but the Sixers are now assured of a spot regardless of how their last few games turn out.  PHILLY, WE'RE LOCKED IN. 🔒 #PhilaUnite | @BetPARX With the win, the Sixers swept the season series with the Cavaliers, 4-0. Joel Embiid turned in another dominant performance to propel Philadelphia to victory. The big man tallied 44 points and 17 rebounds. It was Embiid's 11th 40-point, 10-rebound performance this season. Only Russell Westbrook (12 in 2016-17) and Moses Malone (12 in 1981-82) have had more such performances in a season since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976. The game will certainly help to bolster Embiid's already-impressive MVP case.  Joel Embiid has 11 games with at least ...

  James Harden has been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for less than two months, but that's been more than enough time for him to appreciate the brilliance of Joel Embiid. The duo is expected to help the Sixers compete for a championship, but Harden believes another trophy should be on its way to Philly this year.  In an interview with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Harden backed Embiid for MVP, saying "he deserves it, man." "I've only been here for a few weeks, but I already see his mindset," Harden said. "He wants to win. Some guys just want numbers, but he has both. He has the mentality of winning, and he scores the ball at a high level. I think he's prepared himself, especially coming off last year, for this year to be one of his best years." This has indeed been one of Embiid's best years. He's averaging a career-high 29.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 35.8 percent f...

  The nickname "The Process" has become synonymous with Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid, and the big man recently revealed that he claimed the nickname as his own in order to spite the NBA. During an appearance on "The Draymond Green Show" Embiid explained that he wasn't happy with the way that former Sixers general manger Sam Hinkie was basically forced out of his role by the league and ultimately replaced by Bryan Colangelo.  Hinkie's radical plan to rebuild the Sixers via complete teardown was initially dubbed "The Process," but as the crown jewel of that plan, Embiid adopted it at least in part to keep Hinkie's legacy alive. Here's what he had to say about the nickname:  "[Hinkie] was basically forced out by – I don't want to say names, but you know I'm outspoken, so I'll say it – by the NBA. I always say I don't know who, but I think that's what it was. And then that pissed me off, because I felt...

  The NBA's 2021-22 MVP race is likely down to three candidates: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. You can make a case for any of them to win, but to me, one stands above the other two. Whether that's how the voting will shake out, it's hard to say. There's still just about a month to go. Things could still change. It's an extremely close race. As of Tuesday, March 15, this is a breakdown of the top three with five names at the bottom who will be fighting for top-five voting status.  1. Nikola Jokic How many times can we cite the advanced metrics? It's almost a joke. The Denver Nuggets big man is No. 1 in PER, VORP, BPM, DBPM, OBPM, WS/48, WS, OWS, RAPTOR WAR, Total RAPTOR, Offensive RAPTOR, and he's second in DWS and Defensive RAPTOR. Dismiss all these silly-sounding acronyms if you like, but in doing so you'll be turning away from what has clearly been the best player in the league this season.  Jokic should win MVP. His second strai...

  MILWAUKEE -- Early on Thursday evening, an hour before the Philadelphia 76ers were scheduled to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in an Eastern Conference showdown, Joel Embiid was out on the floor in his warmup gear, trying to find a rhythm with the patented step-back move of his new star teammate James Harden.  Later on, in the closing minutes of the third quarter, Embiid showed that hard work pays off. Catching the ball near the 3-point line on the right wing, he took a few hard dribbles into Serge Ibaka's chest as if he was going to bully his way to the basket, then reversed course and buried the a step-back to beat the shot clock that would have made his new teammate proud.  A review later showed that his toe was on the line, but those two points were still the most impressive of the 42 he dropped in the Sixers' 123-120 win to close out the first half of the season before the All-Star break. He added 14 rebounds and five assists for good measure, and left everyone -- fan...

  After Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid battled for the right to be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player all last season, it appears this year's chase for the award could once again come down to the two All-Star big men. Embiid, after coming in second to Jokic in last year's voting, holds a 35-point lead over the Denver Nuggets' reigning MVP in the second edition of ESPN's NBA MVP Straw Poll for the 2021-22 season. Embiid's razor-thin edge is the closest the top two spots have been over the nine iterations of this poll over the past six seasons. The Philadelphia 76ers center, who had 45 first-place votes and finished with 789 total points, was the only player selected to all 100 ballots submitted. Jokic, meanwhile, finished with 43 first-place votes and had 754 points -- while being left off of five ballots completely. Had Jokic simply been in second place on each of those five ballots, the two superstar centers would've been in a tie. To gauge where the race s...

  Earlier on Tuesday, Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden went viral after a video of Harden teaching Embiid his signature double stepback jumper surfaced. It was met with much hype and anticipation as the idea of the Sixers big man improving his shooting prowess would make him even more unstoppable. Fast forward to their game against the Boston Celtics and all the hype turned into mockery after Embiid tried the move and was called with a traveling violation. To make matters worse, he had zero chance in making the shot after he was blocked. Yikes! It would have been a different story had Joel Embiid actually made it–regardless of the traveling call. The story would have been how James Harden has already made an impact on the Sixers by helping the All-Star big man become an even more potent shooter. Unfortunately, that was not the case at all. Embiid learned his lesson the hard way, and it is unlikely he’ll try to do the move next time given how horrible it went th...