We knew this was coming. Anytime Adam Silver gets a chance to investigate the Sixers, he throws on his Kenesaw Mountain Landis pants and gets going:

If this wasn’t nationally televised and some NBA exec didn’t get upset their precious “Rivalry Week” was ruined, this wouldn’t be a story.

But the illustrious Sixers vs. Nuggets rivalry was ruined. The media and fans have tried for years to pit these two against one another and I think it’s brought them closer:

I’d watch a show of Jokic and Embiid watching ponies at Parx.

I actually hope Joel Embiid never plays in Denver ever again. Do it for the bit at this point. Keep having grown men dressing up in joker outfits lose their minds:


Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Embiid just gave their king 41 points a couple weeks ago. Paul Reed gave him 30 and the Sixers almost beat the Nuggets with their backups. Instead of wondering if Jokic might be a liability defensively, we have Nuggets reporters questioning Embiid’s character cause he hasn’t played in Ball Arena in five years:

Don’t get me wrong, I’d be saying the same thing about Jokic if he dodged the Sixers five years in a row now. But I’m over this rivalry because there is no rivalry. The discourse around Embiid ducking Jokic has gotten corny because every time he plays him he dominates:

They’ve both won their MVPs and received their accolades. The only thing that would re-ignite my passion for a rivalry is an NBA Finals matchup between the two.

 

UPDATE: Ramona Shelburne reports it was Joel Embiid’s decision to not have him on the injury report and that Joel Embiid wanted to play against the Nuggets. Apparently, he couldn’t even jump during warmups. It also seems like this is a pretty serious knee injury and will nag him for the rest of the season: