Simmons and Embiid's performances today were worlds apart.
Simmons defended brilliantly and made smart choices on offense.
And Embiid? He had already been exploited by the Grizzlies twice in a row for acting on his own.
As one of the stars of this game, Embiid had failed to deliver the performance people expected.
It made him look more like a keyboard warrior with no real substance.
Of course, one possession on offense and one on defense were not enough to make Philadelphia fans lose faith in Embiid.
The Grizzlies were only ahead by one point, which hardly counted as any real advantage.
When the 76ers attacked again, Embiid indeed behaved himself much more.
This time, he merely stood at the top of the three-point arc, ready to receive the ball, with no intention of causing trouble in the low post.
Seeing Embiid pinned outside the three-point line, Link let out a huge sigh of relief.
Embiid's sharp drop in scoring average this season had a lot to do with the 76ers' strategy.
Embiid was a player who liked to finish possessions in the low post, but with a perimeter player who could not shoot threes at all, plus the arrival of Al Jefferson Horford, the 76ers' offensive spacing had been compressed to an absurd degree!
Of the five starters, three needed to finish plays near the basket.
This bizarre lineup was unique in the entire league. Even the New York Knicks, who hoarded power forwards like crazy, did not have spacing as cramped as Philadelphia's.
Of course, Embiid and Horford could both shoot threes. In theory, they could also finish possessions far from the basket.
But three-point shooting was merely an extra weapon for Embiid and Horford, not their primary way of scoring.
Those two still needed to operate in