It may be impossible to quantify the impact of intangibles, but they’re certainly detectable.
How else, after all, would you know when they’re there?
Taking Joel Embiid’s last two games into account - jaw dropping performances in a pair of hope-inspiring victories - the weight of his production was immense.
A combined 77 points, 37 rebounds, 10 assists, and 26 for 28 shooting from the free throw line against the NBA’s no. 1 and no. 5 defensive teams (Milwaukee and Boston, respectively) are measurables that speak for themselves.
The two-time All-Star is now the first player in 76ers history to post at least 35 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists in back to back games. His output has been that insane.
But impressive individual stat lines alone do not necessarily equate to wins in important clashes with elite opponents.
No, to help lift a team in these types of settings, something extra is typically required - a mentality, an attitude manifested through intense, high-stakes competition.
This, too, has been Embiid’s gift to the Sixers this week, in Sunday’s 130-125 triumph at Milwaukee, and again Wednesday, when the big man assumed a central role in leading his squad to just its fourth win in 22 tries against bitter rival Boston, 118-115.
His demeanor was determined, his will unmatched. He was assertive, relentlessly physical in two games that warranted such an approach.
Embiid wanted desperately for the Sixers to make statements against the Bucks and Celtics. His style of play ensured that happened.
Both contests - with Milwaukee ranked first in the Eastern Conference, and Boston at one point not too far behind the Sixers for third place - took on the feel of playoff games. Embiid rose to the occasion.
“Embiid was determined to get to the front of the rim from the get-go,” said Stevens. “He’s a tough guy to guard, especially when he really gets to the rim like that.”
Start to finish, Embiid was locked in, from his seemingly endless parade to the free throw line (he single-handedly outdid Boston from the stripe, 20-21 vs 13-16), to his incredible, perhaps game-saving block on the always-dangerous Irving in isolation (that’s 7-0, 260 pounds somehow sticking with a shifty 6-3, 195 pounds!).
Clearly recognizing the date on the calendar, and some of the recent implications in play, Embiid was not going to be denied, especially facing a foe Wednesday at The Center that’s had the Sixers’ number.
“Jo was so excited to be able to compete against these guys,” Jimmy Butler said. “I know how much this game meant to him.
The demeanor Embiid brought to the court Wednesday wasn’t dissimilar to how he went about his business Sunday at Fiserv Forum, which left Brown with the following impression.
“The thing that maybe most stood out to me,” Brown said Sunday, after Embiid went for 40 points, 15 rebounds, and six dimes, “there was a fierce level of competitiveness that he played with. It was at an ‘A’ level. It was at a playoff level. The physical side of things, throwing his body into things, he just was extremely competitive.”
With the post-season opening in just a few short weeks, the ultra-motivated Embiid is peaking at the perfect time.
Amen to that.