Embiid’s impact | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s about time.

Joel Embiid finally beat out Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP, and his offensive numbers sure are impressive. But that’s not where his impact is felt the most.

Yes, MVP is an offensive award, and yes, it’s hard to quantify defense. But that’s where Embiid truly makes himself irreplaceable. You could see it best in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when Embiid wasn’t there. The Celtics made 22 of 25 shots from close range, and their average shot distance was 4.8 feet. And in the four games during the regular season? David Murphy has those stats, as well as his take on the big man finally getting his due.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓What impact do you think Bryce Harper’s return will have? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

unCovering the Birds with Jeff McLane Ep 6: Beau Knows Football Stories

All-Pros are important. But every good football team needs a couple of colorful characters, too. For the 2017 Eagles Super Bowl champs, Beau Allen was one of those guys. In the latest episode of unCovering the Birds , Beau shares with Inquirer beat reporter Jeff McLane the funny, absurd, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that only a career in professional football offers. From tales of Tebowmania to makeshift parade-route restrooms, Allen recalls his favorite (and infamous) memories. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or go to Inquirer.com/podcasts.

Joel Embiid battled to get here. Year after year, he considered himself the best player in the NBA for 82 games and did his best to prove it. And each season he was met with the fact that another player — namely Nikola Jokić or Giannis Antetokounmpo — was considered better by the masses. No more. After two seasons as the runner-up, Embiid broke through to become the first Sixers player since Allen Iverson to land the NBA’s MVP award, and the fifth in franchise history.

Next: The Sixers are back on the court on Wednesday to face the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their second-round series (8 p.m., TNT).

You probably know their names, positions, and what colleges they went to, but what do the seven newest Eagles bring to the table in terms of skill set? Who will have an impact right away? Are there any future stars in the mix?

Now that we’ve had a few days to digest the draft, Devin Jackson examines the strengths and weaknesses of every Eagles pick and offers his scouting report.

Bryce Harper was back in the Phillies lineup 160 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Let that sink in for a minute. But what will that mean for his production at the plate? Scott Lauber explores that question as the Phillies’ face of the franchise takes his first at-bats of the 2023 season.

His return has a trickle down effect, notably for a fellow veteran outfielder, Kyle Schwarber.

But his return was soured somewhat thanks to a 13-1 drubbing at the hands of the Dodgers.

Next: The Phillies will close out the series with a matinee in Los Angeles (4:10 p.m., NBCSP). Aaron Nola (2-2, 4.46 ERA) gets the start against Gavin Stone (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

NHL teams have been queueing up for multiple years now to best position themselves for a chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft. The prize? Connor Bedard.

With less than a week until the NHL draft lottery on May 8, Giana Han looks at Bedard and how landing the No. 1 pick could change the future trajectory of the Flyers. The Flyers enter Monday with a 6.5% chance of landing the top pick.

Instead of the chance for revenge against LAFC for the MLS Cup loss that the Union had hoped for, it was a close match only in the first half of the second leg of their Concacaf Champions League semifinal. This time, the tide turned against the Union when a red card took one of their key players off the field, leading to a 3-0 loss and a 4-1 loss on aggregate.

Jonathan Tannenwald broke down the top takeaways from the disappointing loss.

In the running: Pennsylvania-bred Angel of Empire is among the favorites at the Kentucky Derby.

Catching up: Drexel AD Maisha Kelly reflects on the past year on campus in a Q&A.

We asked you: In what year did the Sixers last beat the Celtics in an NBA playoff series?

Answer: B: 1982. Pete S. was first with the correct response.

We asked you: What’s your prediction for Game 2? Among your responses:

Several factors are in play. Will the refs continue to call twice as many fouls on the Sixers? Will the Celtics’ rookie coach figure out how to get his team to play defense? Can James Harden play a second perfect game on short rest, and if he can’t, will someone else step up? Those three factors will determine the outcome. I like the Sixers’ chances, but I don’t want to jinx them. And either way, a rested Joel will take the Bostonians apart on Friday night in South Philly. — Joel G.

The Sixers had a surprise element going for them last night. B-Ball Paul Reed is NOT Joel Embiid, but he is a far better version of himself than he was at the beginning of the season. He was the surprise element that might have taken down the Celtics. His defense and rebounding are improving by the game and his offense is a bit more than expected. Everyone else played to their highest capacity. Tyrese Maxey has matured into an explosive talent who will continue to grow the subtle elements of his game. Tobias Harris can earn his entire huge contract over the next few weeks. Melton came up big and now we know why P.J. Tucker is called a playoff whiz. Doc Rivers’ short bench did not come up short.

It is too early, but following the example of the late great Moses Malone, dare we say, “Fo, fo, fo and fo? — Milton T.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Keith Pompey, Devin Jackson, Scott Lauber, Giana Han, Andrea Canales, Jonathan Tannenwald, Ed Barkowitz, and Matt Ryan.