Joel Embiid Still Doesn’t Believe Sixers-Celtics Is Legitimate Rivalry

In October, after the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA season opener, Joel Embiid made headlines when he said that Sixers-Celtics wasn’t close to being a real “rivalry.”

And, well, not much has changed.

Boston beat Philly 121-114 in overtime Tuesday night after a classic Christmas Day performance from Kyrie Irving. After the game, Embiid was asked whether he felt any differently about how his team compares to Boston’s.

Here’s what he had to say:

In terms of wins and losses, Embiid’s not wrong. The Celtics handled Philly in last season’s second-round playoff series, and they’ve bested their Eastern Conference foes in both meetings this season — albeit within the comfy confines of TD Garden.

Games between the teams, however, often are very close, and the eye test should tell you the talent margin isn’t wide. Furthermore, if and when the Celtics meet the Sixers in the postseason, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Celtics fan that won’t be seriously nervous about Philly’s chances of dispatching the Green.