Stephen A. WANTS Embiid’s FOCUS on an NBA title! ‘The one thing MISSING!’ | First Take YT Exclusive

Stephen A. WANTS Embiid’s FOCUS on an NBA title! ‘The one thing MISSING!’ | First Take YT Exclusive

Good day welcome back to First Take on YouTube I’ve got Stephen A and radio Hall of Famer Christopher Mad Dog Russo let’s get into it fellas we head to the association as it was a heavyweight match up your brotherly love between the NBA’s regular season MVP Joel embiid in

Reigning finals MVP Nicola joic embiid came out on top dropping 41 and a 126 to 121 win putting together another MVP esque performance and speaking of most valuable player before the game be spoke on whether he’s focused on winning the award in consecutive years take a

Listen the goal is to be the rest of the year I’ve already done it I’ve always said it I want to go five chance five a chance to get a second one I do it um but I’m not going to force myself for know push more we winning that’s the

Main thing got to keep winning and obviously you know you put in the stats uh to be in the conversation is great too um so yeah that’s great but at the end of the day if there’s something going on and I can’t meet the requirement for the

Against play to qualify for that that’s so be it okay mad do you think embiid should care about winning back-to-back MVPs absolutely why not it’s 65 games he doesn’t have to play 82 and I don’t quite understand what he can’t figure out a way to play a game on April 15th

Because he wants to win an NBA championship the NBA Playoffs take forever there’s the first round takes two and a half weeks there’s two or three days in between games he’s got a a lot of time to relax and take it easy we’re worry about the Celtics in a

Conference final when I get there he’s only play he’s going to play 62 63 games he’s going to be close to the 65 number what’s the big deal play an extra couple games boy that would motivate me to win a second MVP bird won three in a row

Shacks only won one Kareem won a million of them why not win as many as you can that’s what greatness is all about I’m surprised go win the go win it again that’s what you’re here that’s what you’re playing the games for the championship and the MVP are separate

The championship you worry about that when you get close enough to win it the MV the MVP is over April 15th what difference does it make so play and win the MVP um I don’t think he should be concerned about it I’m not saying he shouldn’t play I’m not saying he

Shouldn’t play well I’m just saying that he shouldn’t be a top his list of priorities the man is averaging 35 points per game following up an MVP season he’s playing like an MVP again he’s had what is it 18 straight 30 point plus games 18 straight and on top of it

All he’s had 40 or more points in seven of his last 13 games the dude is playing lights out but here’s the reality doggy because you the historian who ultimately holds people accountable who brings up the word immortal every chance you give as if you’re Thor a Hulk or somebody

Some you’re some Marvel offici anado I would remind you that this dude Joel embiid is 5- one in opening round playoff series he’s 0 and5 in Eastern Conference semi-final series he has never been to a Conference Finals and so when you look at it from that perspective it has gotten to the point

Where he’s graduated to a certain level his greatness is cemented we look at him we know how great he is we look at the footwork we look at the shooting ability the touch the moves around the basket his size his girth his defensive prowess the dude is one of the elite big men

From a talent perspective the game has ever seen and now he has a league MVP trophy on his mantle the one thing missing is a championship and so for me the priority should be that that does not mean he misses games it I mean he’s already missed 10 games this year he

Misses about seven more and then he disqualifies himself for any individual Awards I’m not encouraging him to miss games or anything like that what I’m saying is it was clearly a concern last year he wanted that League MVP very very badly to the point that when joic was

Taking heat because everybody was Voting him and saying that he was the imminent MVP again even though he already had two on his mantle joic just stepped back and was like my priority is capturing a championship and then he went out and did it if anything jic just set the

Stage and he set the standard because he went away from prioritizing the individuality to making sure that he captured the chip and now we recognize him as a champion as great as we look at as embiid as being the reality is is that we look at Boston we look at Boston

As being better we look at Giannis and DMO and Milwaukee is potentially being better because Giannis is a champion we look at joic and Denver is probably being better because they’re the reigning defending NBA champions whereas Joel and B got bounced out in a game seven yet again not only did James

Harden not show up he didn’t show up either that is the priority and that’s what I mean when I say he shouldn’t care about winning a straight a second straight MVP it’s not that it doesn’t matter but it significantly should pale in comparison to get to the Conference

Finals and ultimately in NBA finals and capturing the championship I don’t disagree with the I I get the idea that the title and winning a championship is more important but you’re playing 82 games in his case 5 why not be motivated by winning an MVP what’s one have to do

With the other you win the MVP and then you turn your attention to the championship I don’t understand what the problem is well here’s what the problem is sometimes you can find yourself in a race for League MVP honors and you’re going out there and you’re competing with other individuals to get that

Individual award and as a result you may tax yourself to some degree once the playoffs arrives again you shouldn’t be missing games but in the same breath I don’t care what sport it is you do find yourself at moments pacing yourself to make sure you don’t exhaust yourself

When it really counts so okay they gave him a 17 game leeway he only has to play 65 games to win the award it’s not like he’s got to play 82 games that’s pacing yourself as it is you only got to play 65 but he but but but he didn’t miss the

10 games he missed Joy because he was pacing himself he missed it because he was legitimately injured all right in the next 40 games he can Miss six okay Stephen is he your front runner for MVP do and beat your front runner right now

Yes yes Mad Dog yeah I think he is I’d have to I haven’t thought about it carefully enough but I do think he is yes okay all right we’ll leave it there uh you can use um bellich to the Jets on your radio show today excellent one she

Had that how Ste if you want to use that if you want to use that tomorrow the show I’ll take off my producer hat and you guys can steal my Molly Troy Aman on my podcast said Tom Brady Bill belich wants to accomplish two things he wants to break Don Schuler’s all-time winning

Record of course and he wants to win a Super Bowl without Brady okay those two things he has no shot in Hell accomplishing those two things playing coaching for the New York jenss Aaron rers they have Aaron Rogers they just got to get the line fixed they’ve got a good defense there yeah

Iite corre Elite don’t forget I used to work at NFL Network all right they got to play Steve why wouldn’t you want to go to the Jets finish up where you started all right Steve you look great you enjoy La Mad Dog and I are going to go put our coats

On and uh light our fireplaces all right thanks for watching be sure to watch first take Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. on ESPN and be sure to check out more exclusive First Take debates right here on YouTube he

Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo discuss if Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid should care about winning a second straight MVP.

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