Right from the opening two possessions, Embiid had not disappointed the Philadelphia 76ers fans.
He scored over Jokic twice in a row, exactly as the home crowd had expected.
By now, people were no longer hoping that Jokic would dominate the Grizzlies' center position. What they wanted now was to figure out how to beat the Grizzlies!
The Philadelphia 76ers had won three of their last four games and were riding a wave of momentum. As a team made up of young players, they were also fiercely hungry for victory.
Those last few possessions had given the Philadelphia 76ers players hope that they could compete with the Grizzlies.
They had realized that the seemingly omnipotent Memphis Grizzlies were not actually invincible!
This time, Wade shook off Gerald Henderson with the ball and drove straight into the paint.
During his prime in Charlotte, Henderson had been a player capable of averaging 15 points per game.
He was a very traditional shooting guard. Compared to three-pointers, he preferred the mid-range game; compared to attacking with the ball, he preferred scoring off the ball.
At the same time, Henderson's sturdy frame also made him an excellent defender.
If not for the string of injuries he had suffered, Henderson might truly have made something of himself in the NBA.
In other words, Henderson was no scrub. He was very confident when facing the aging Wade.
Yet Wade used only one quick one-handed crossover to throw Henderson off balance and blow past him.
Anyone who underestimated Wade usually did not end well.
"Tch, troublesome!" Seeing Henderson get beaten, Embiid got ready beneath the basket to help defend.
Wade fearlessly went up for the layup after driving into the paint, but Embiid arrived in time, swung his long arms, and swatted the basketball out of Wade's