Sixers in awe of Joel Embiid after dominant Game 5 vs. Celtics

BOSTON -- The Philadelphia 76ers received a huge Joel Embiid performance in Tuesday's Game 5 win over the Boston Celtics. The big fella shook off a tough 1-for-7 start and shot 11-for-16 the rest of the night to finish with 33 points and eight assists. Not bad for a guy only 19 days removed from a major appendectomy surgery.

Embiid was dominant as he threw the Sixers on his back to make sure they stayed alive for at least one more day. It's the type of performance his teammates are used to, but this one felt different. "He was dominant," Tyrese Maxey awed after the win.

"He was dominant, especially in the second half. He was extremely dominant, and he did a really good job of just inserting himself, and I was proud of him tonight, man. That's dominance that you go into a playoff game with, and he did that.

" One has to wonder if the Sixers ever thought Embiid would be playing at this level after such a major surgery. When comparing his return timeline to previous players who had an appendectomy, he is ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery, but the big fella is incredible and this is what he does. Normal timelines don't matter to him.