76ers & Celtics Rivalry Isn't Real, Says Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid doesn't believe the rivalry between his Philadelphia 76ers team and the Boston Celtics is real. The superstar center came out on the losing end of Christmas Day's overtime thriller between the two sides and, despite all of the hype brought on by the media, Embiid says there's no rivalry between the Sixers and

Joel Embiid doesn't believe the rivalry between his Philadelphia 76ers team and the Boston Celtics is real.

The superstar center came out on the losing end of Christmas Day's overtime thriller between the two sides and, despite all of the hype brought on by the media, Embiid says there's no rivalry between the Sixers and their Eastern Conference counterparts.

“We lost again. Like I said at the beginning of the season, I don’t know what a rivalry is. I think I do, but this is clear as day, this is no rivalry,” the big man told reporters after Philly's loss.

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Embiid, who scored 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, also complained about the number of touches he got during the game but admitted that he was to blame for the defeat and could have done more.

"I felt like I could have done more," he declared. "I didn't get the ball. The ball didn't find me in the fourth quarter and overtime, so, in those situations, I've got to show up, but I also have to be put in the right situations to be able to help this team.

"I felt like I wasn't in the right situation. We lost.

"I put this heavily on me because I know I could have done more, and the more I was playing, all day they couldn't guard me, and they were playing a lot of one-on-one, double-teaming on the first dribbles, but I have to find a way to adjust through that and just be myself."

Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, did it all for the Celtics on the day, coming up big in the clutch and forcing overtime as the men in green responded to their detractors.

The point guard scored 40 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for his team, hitting crucial buckets down the stretch.

Philly's loss certainly wasn't for the want of trying and Embiid did put in a very good shift. Yet their efforts weren't enough to fend off Kyrie's brilliance.

What This Means

The Celtics dumped Philly out of the playoffs last season en route to the Eastern Conference finals, a series they would lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The two teams were tipped to battle it out for the top spot in the conference this term but it looks like it's going to be a fight between the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks.

As for the rivalry, or lack thereof, Embiid is right. Players have been way too friendly with each other for it to be considered that just yet, but one could be coming.

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