Joel Embiid Just Made the First Round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs Very Interesting

Joel Embiid made his long-awaited return to the basketball court Tuesday night as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 109-105. After two months off, Embiid scored 24 points in 29 minutes and suddenly the Eastern Conference Playoffs just got much more interesting. Especially the first round.

The Boston Celtics clinched the top seed already and the Milwaukee Bucks have a 1.5 game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 2 seed. Under normal circumstances, all three teams would be looking at a favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs. But with Embiid's return any of them could be facing a surging squad featuring the reigning MVP.

Embiid looked healthy, but a little tired in his return. He'll have a chance to play himself into shape over the final six games of the regular season with Philadelphia currently occupying the eighth spot in the East. Four of those games are against teams set for the lottery. It will be tough for the Sixers to get all the way to the No. 6 seed since they trail both the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers (who hold the tiebreaker over Philly) in the standings, but it doesn't really matter. Whether they end up at six, seven or eight, the sixers will be a tough matchup for whoever they face in the first round.

Last year the Sixers had a 3-2 lead over the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bucks have been better defensively under Doc Rivers, but they've lost three of their last four games, including a loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. And as good as the Cavaliers have been for the second straight year, no one really believes in them after their first round loss to the New York Knicks last season. If any of those teams faces the Atlanta Hawks or Chicago Bulls, no one cares. If they have to deal with Embiid, who knows what will happen?

Embiid has the ability to be the best player in almost any series and no one is going to try harder. It might not be enough to get the 76ers to a championship or even the NBA Finals this year, but in a seven-game series anything can happen. That makes the Sixers, the Eastern Conference and the NBA more fun and interesting.

That's good news for everyone. Well, everyone outside Boston, Milwaukee and Cleveland.

Stephen Douglas is a writer at The Big Lead.