Joel Embiid saves the Sixers, Quentin Grimes wakes up and other things we learned from improbable Game 5 win

The 76ers have looked completely done twice in their best-of-seven-games series against the Boston Celtics. The first time was the beginning of the series when they were blown off the court in Game 1. The next was Game 4, when the Sixers were completely outclassed even with Joel Embiid back 17 days after an appendectomy.

Each time they responded admirably and with a win. The Sixers were a revelation in Game 2 as rookie VJ Edgecombe created history. And in Game 5, Embiid repeated history, coming back from injury once again and breathing life into his team.

The big man posted 33 points, four rebounds and eight assists and keyed the Sixers’ latest improbable win, 113-97, to stave off elimination. He got help from Tyrese Maxey (25 points) and Paul George (16 points). Quentin Grimes might have been the Sixers’ second-best player. After playing dreadful basketball through three games, Grimes posted 18 points and played lockdown defense on Jaylen Brown.

Here’s what else we learned in the return of the cardiac Sixers.

» READ MORE: 76ers-Celtics news: Sixers avoid elimination, send series back to Philly behind Embiid's 33 points, dominant fourth quarter

There was considerable hype as it became clear that Embiid would make his postseason debut in Game 4 of this first-round series against the Boston Celtics. His team had put up an admirable fight against a more talented team and only trailed two games to one in the series. But that game turned out to be a collective dud for every player on the roster.

The excitement and fanfare came two nights too early. This was the Embiid game. Embiid started Game 4 with eight straight points before cooling off. On this night, he started slowly, posting four first-quarter assists before knocking down his first basket.

But it wasn’t until the second quarter, when he decided to leave the three-point line and get in the paint, that Embiid’s night truly started to take shape. Embiid caught the ball with Luke Garza on his back and feasted, ducking down in the paint and finishing off the glass. He lived in the lane the rest of the night and gave his team a real chance to win.

Not even a brief moment where Embiid doubled over in pain and had to go back to the locker room could dampen his night. Remember, this is only his second game back after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on April 9 in Houston. Still, there he was gutting it out with buckets at all three levels, including a lethal midrange fadeaway that he couldn’t miss once he got going.

No player had more riding on this series — or this season — than Grimes. He entered last summer as a prized restricted free agent looking to cash in. He wanted a contract worth $20 million and was spurned by the Sixers, choosing instead to take the one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer and bet on himself.

That bet hasn’t paid off much for Grimes. And after a terrible start to this first-round series, it looked like he would end this big year with a whimper. Not so. Grimes emerged slightly in Game 4, posting 12 points and six assists. He bursted onto the scene in the second half of Game 5 and finished with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid vows not to ‘cry about’ his latest postseason injury setback: ‘Some things you can’t control’

He knocked down some big three-pointers and played some of the best defense we’ve seen from a Sixers player this season. And that’s no hyperbole. He picked up Brown, an All-NBA player and prospective MVP, on the baseline and hounded him up the court. He turned him multiple times before Brown was forced to take a tough shot. It was a hell of an effort from Grimes, who brushed off three terrible games to play a role in this series.

But it wasn’t all pretty. The Sixers still have a lot to clean up on defense. Their effort against a Finals-caliber team still didn’t meet the moment. Rotations weren’t crisp and their decision-making was questionable. Boston just didn’t capitalize on their opportunities this time, going 11-for-39 shooting on threes and failing to make good on a number of open looks from deep and at the basket.

Where the Sixers also still need to be better is rebounding. Boston still bested them in the category but they competed. The total advantage was only 49-47, but the Sixers still gave up 15 offensive rebounds. That’s not a winning formula against any team, much less a former champion.