Sixers' Joel Embiid has begun strength and conditioning program

Less than 24 hours after their Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers received positive news on the injury front, as center Joel Embiid is reportedly in the next step of his recovery process. Embiid has been out for the Sixers since April 8 when he underwent an appendectomy, missing the regular season finale and beginning of the playoffs for Philadelphia, including their play-in victory over the Orlando Magic. With Embiid out, Philadelphia elected to start Adem Bona at center, but he played just 14 minutes contributing 3 points and 3 rebounds in that time. Veteran Andre Drummond came off the bench for the Sixers in the 123-91 victory for Boston, totaling 2 points and 5 rebounds, proving the urgency for Embiid to get back on the court for them. In 28 career games between the regular season and playoffs against the Boston Celtics, Embiid is averaging just around 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, as one of the leaders for the Sixers franchise. During the span of those 28 games, Embiid's overall record against the Celtics has been 13-15, but there's no denying his presence is needed for Philadelphia on the court. The 32-point victory for Boston was led by Jayson Tatum's performance with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points on the night. These two teams split the season series between them at two games apiece, but Philadelphia didn't play a game in the season series with Paul George while Boston didn't have Jayson Tatum for any of the games either. Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Blue Wire: iTunes: YouTube: *This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Sixers' Joel Embiid has begun strength and conditioning program*