Joel Embiid gives controversial take about Celtics

Joel Embiid may be priming himself for a future career as a hot-take artist.

The Philadelphia 76ers star Embiid sparked debate on Wednesday night with his post to X about the Boston Celtics, who are now up 3-0 on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Embiid questioned whether the Milwaukee Bucks had given the Celtics the championship.

The Bucks were seen as the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East all year and had both the star power and the depth to conceivably give Boston a run for their money. But Milwaukee bowed out in the first round to the Indiana Pacers (with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing all of the series due to injury and Damian Lillard also missing multiple games).

Alternatively, some believed that Embiid was referencing the Bucks trading away guard Jrue Holiday, who is now a crucial starter for the Celtics. But in reality, Milwaukee sent Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Lillard blockbuster. The Blazers then traded Holiday to the Celtics several days later in a completely separate deal.

It does not seem like Boston has really been challenged this postseason as they have lost only two games during their entire playoff run and are now on the verge of sweeping the NBA Finals. But Embiid, who has experienced his own humiliations at the hands of the Celtics before, seems to think that it could have been different had they faced the Bucks in the playoff bracket.