Joel Embiid’s Injury Will Keep Everybody Guessing

Will Joel Embiid play Game 5? Or is he set for a second night off for the playoffs? Nobody knows - not even Joel Embiid or the Sixers' medical team. At this point, everybody has come to the conclusion that Embiid's status won't be decided until at least 15 minutes before game time, which seems to be positive, in a way.

Basically, Embiid likes the idea of having his game status continuously up in the air until before tip-off. As he stated at practice on Monday, he wants to "keep em' guessing." As the Brooklyn Nets faced Embiid in three of the four matchups this postseason, they were unsure if he was going to play in most of them. For Game's 1 and 4, Embiid was listed as 'Doubtful' all the way up until ten minutes before the game when Embiid eventually suited up and hit the court.

Game 3 was the only matchup Embiid sat out, and he was listed as 'Questionable' before being officially ruled out, which switched up the Sixers' plans entirely just moments before the start. As the Nets likely anticipated a start by Boban Marjanovic or Jonah Bolden, they ended up getting Greg Monroe instead. It might not have been the favorable move by Brett Brown, but it could've definitely helped the Sixers throw Brooklyn off a bit.

As the series heads back to Philly for Game 5, we're stuck in the same position with Embiid. He's still practicing after playing this past Saturday, but his status for Tuesday is still up in the air. And if his comment is any indication, it sounds like the Sixers' center is indeed questionable for Game 5. But assuming the Sixers want to wrap the series up and avoid going back on the road to Brooklyn, it seems likely that the Sixers' big man gets the thumbs up to play as long as he isn't in any excruciating pain.

Follow Justin on Twitter: @JGrasso_