The NBA Playoffs are known for being full of magical moments that only the best basketball in the world can generate, this Wednesday night we have to add another one of those unique and unrepeatable moments and for the first time, that honor goes to the great Cameroonian center of the Philadephia 76ers, Joel Embiid in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round series against the Toronto Raptors.
What was Joel Embiid’s buzzer beater like?
The exciting game between 76ers and Raptors on Canadian soil had gone to overtime, first overtime of this postseason and the score was tied 101-101 with 2.6 seconds to play and 0.9 seconds on the shot clock, the ball was on the side, it was inbounded by Danny Green, who passed the ball to Embiid, who took it, turned around and shot a three-pointer to give his team the lead with 0.7 seconds left on the clock, in essence a buzzer beater.
The team from the “City of Brotherly Love” ended up winning 104-101, putting the series 3-0 in their favor, putting them just one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
This shot was the end of a great night for the finalist for the Most Valuable Player award of this regular season, he finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, to erase a deficit of up to 17 points in favor of Toronto.
James Harden fouled out
As if that were not enough, Philadelphia had to play the entire overtime without its other superstar, James Harden, who fouled out at the end of regular time after scoring 19 points and 10 assists.
For the losing Raptors, the 26 points of OG Anunoby, who could not attempt the tying shot with 0.7 seconds left after Embiid’s fabulous basket, and Gary Trent Jr. scored a personal playoff high with 24.
Toronto never trailed the entire regular time.
What’s next in this series?
This series could be decided next Saturday, when Game 4 will be played at 2:00 pm ET.
Marca
