Embiid confirmed to miss Game 1! Previously underwent appendectomy surgery; 76ers record 21 wins and 23 losses without him this season.

On April 18 Beijing time, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to begin their first-round playoff matchup on Monday, facing the Boston Celtics away. The attention of the entire team and the outside world is focused on Embiid. This interior core underwent an appendectomy surgery on April 10 while the team was away playing against the Houston Rockets, and has been resting and recovering since then. Currently, he has been confirmed to miss the first game of the playoffs.

Clearly, this is a standard surgical procedure, and players typically require a long recovery period and extended absence. For example, OG Anunoby underwent the same surgery on April 12, 2019 while playing for the Toronto Raptors, and was only cleared to return on June 3.

Indeed, Embiid has often returned ahead of schedule in the past, breaking external estimates for recovery timelines, but this still cannot change one fact: the 76ers are likely unable to deploy Embiid for a considerable period.

Reporter Shams reported that the 76ers expect to be completely without Embiid at the start of this series. Theoretically, he still has a chance to return during this series against the Celtics, but head coach Nick Nurse currently does not anticipate that.

Nurse said after today's training session: "I am only focused on preparing for Sunday's game now. I know for sure he will absolutely not play in this opening game. That's it. Our entire focus right now is to go all out in preparation, fight hard, and perform at our best competitive level and tactical execution. We'll assess later as the situation develops; once the series starts, the situation can change anytime. All variables are likely to become clear only as the series progresses, and then we'll adapt accordingly."

This season, the 76ers achieved a record of 21 wins and 23 losses without Embiid. Now heading to Boston to challenge the strong Celtics, to upset the higher-ranked opponent, this team must exert maximum effort and face the difficulties head-on.