James Harden: Joel Embiid is 'Key' for Sixers' Recent Success vs. Heat

When the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off their second-round series against the Miami Heat last Monday, they went into Game 1 without their star center Joel Embiid

When the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off their second-round series against the Miami Heat last Monday, they went into Game 1 without their star center Joel Embiid in the mix. At the time, Embiid was in the NBA's concussion protocol and dealing with an orbital fracture on top of his torn thumb ligament.

Since Embiid wasn't cleared to travel to Miami with his team, he stayed back in Philadelphia and watched his team come up short in Game 1. Two nights later, he was in the same position as the Sixers collected a significant loss in Game 2.

Before Friday's Game 3 matchup, Embiid was cleared out of the NBA's concussion protocol and eventually upgraded from out, to doubtful, to active. As Embiid took the court for Game 3, the Sixers got a much-needed boost and picked up their first win over the Heat in the series.

On Sunday, Embiid was on the floor once again for Game 4. While Sunday's outing was much closer than Friday's, the Sixers still came out on top with a 116-108 victory. Sixers guard James Harden led the team in scoring as he knocked down six threes and collected 31 points.

But the Beard couldn't take all of the credit for the Sixers' success. After the game, Harden mentioned that "the key" for the Sixers in their last two wins was getting Embiid back in the mix as his presence alone skyrockets their chances of being successful on game nights.

"That’s the MVP of the league," said Harden regarding Embiid after Game 4. "I mean, credit to our guys, we had the right mindset going into both games. It’s difficult without Jo to win and make shots. We didn’t make shots the first two games. If we made shots, it’s probably a different ballgame. But we still had that confidence going into Game 3, knowing that we could beat these guys."

With a victory on Sunday, the Sixers evened the series score at two wins and two losses. On Monday afternoon, the Sixers will travel back to Miami for Game 5, which will take place on Tuesday. This time around, Embiid is expected to be on the trip.

"Obviously, bringing Jo back was the X-factor," Harden finished. "Our confidence level remained high, and we just kept that same swagger going into Game 3 and then going into Game 4 as well. We’ve got to put a full game together in Game 5. Thinking about it now, we’ve got to put a full game together on both ends of the ball to be able to go out there and get a win."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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