Stephen A. Smith destroyed Sixers, Joel Embiid for awful Game 5 loss to Heat

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was not pleased with the performance of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5, as they were blown out by the Miami Heat.

Momentum appeared to be on the side of the Philadelphia 76ers once they got Joel Embiid back from injury in time for Game 3. They took the next two games of the series, tying things up as they got ready for Game 5 in Miami on Tuesday night.

Yet, it was the Heat who bounced back and took a 3-2 series lead with a dominant 120-85 victory. Now, they have the chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a Game 6 win on May 12.

Stephen A. Smith criticizes 76ers, Joel Embiid for Game 6 effort

After Game 5 went final, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith put the 76ers and Embiid on blast for their lack of fight against the Heat. In fact, Smith called it “the worst performance [he’s] seen the 76ers put forth in a long time.

The 76ers, well, struggled to score points on their opportunities. They were only able to shoot 36.5-percent from the field (31-for-85). Meanwhile, Miami shot 53.6-percent from the field (45-of-84).

Embiid did lead Philadelphia in scoring, but it was with 17 points after making 7-of-12 shot attempts. Additionally, Embiid grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists and recorded one steal in 33 minutes.

As for the Heat, Jimmy Butler starred once again. He was able to put up 23 points (9-15 FG), nine rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes of playing time.

If the 76ers want to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001, they need to win Game 6. If not, it will be another year where they were unable to make it past the second round.