It was a late Friday night in December that Joel Embiid decided to let the world in. After a roller coaster start to his 2025-26 season, Embiid began to look more like the offensive force he had been prior to a meniscus injury that derailed his 2024-25 sesaon and led many to question how much time he had left near the peak of his powers. In his previous game, a very close home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Embiid shot 4-for-21. He's been around too long to celebrate 39 points against the lowly Indiana Pacers, "You got to stay balanced. Just made shots today," Embiid told reporters that night. In the moment, it felt like a sign of wisdom. Now, as Embiid prepares for a second-round clash with the New York Knicks after leading the Sixers to a stunning 3-1 series comeback win over the blood-rival Boston Celtics, it feels more like those words were a sign of trust. Trust that there would be great moments. Trust that there would be bad moments. Trust that it would all be OK.…