Joel Embiid had a big night in Game 3 of the Philadelphia 76ers first-round series with the New York Knicks. Philadelphia’s 125-114 victory was filled with controversy, however, as the 2022-23 NBA MVP received a Flagrant 1 foul that many believe warranted an ejection.
Charles Oakley weighed in on the play, sharing how New York should handle Embiid. Speaking to Barbara Barker of Newsday, the former Knicks enforcer stated:
They’ve got to do something about it. I wouldn’t be shaking their hands before the game when they play, friends or no friends. I wouldn’t shake Embiid’s hand or anyone’s hand. We are on a mission.
When asked about Embiid asking New York players what they would do about his foul, Oakley added:
I probably would have smacked him. You can’t let him send that kind of message. If he had done something like that [when Oakley played], he wouldn’t have gotten away with it. David Robinson, when he played, he knew what he could get away with. They [bullies] pick a fight they think they are going to win.
He noted that the Knicks need to make Embiid work:
If I’m the Knicks, this is what I do. I’m putting him in every pick-and-roll. Make him work . . . Then you might want to set a hard pick on him. Let’s see how it feels when someone puts you out there. He’s big. He’s like a load of timber wood, but you know what happens to wood when they say, ‘Timber.’ [h/t Newsday]
Embiid was able to remain in the game and had a big night as the 76ers avoided a 3-0 hole. He finished with 50 points, eight rebounds, four assists and one block while shooting 13-19 from the field, 5-7 from three-point range and 19-21 from the free-throw line. Philadelphia will look to even up the series when the two teams meet for Game 4 at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Immanuel Quickley weighs in on Joel Embiid avoiding ejection
Immanuel Quickley spent the first three and a half seasons of his career as a member of the New York Knicks before a midseason trade sent him to the Toronto Raptors. The 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up recently suggested Joel Embiid’s status is the only reason he was able to remain in Game 3. Speaking on the Run It Back podcast, Quickley was asked if the play was dirty, responding:
I ain’t trying to get fined – I don’t know if I still can. But if that was anybody else, I don’t know if he’d get the same call.
The play proved to be a turning point in Game 3 of the series. The two teams will meet in a pivotal Game 4 on Sunday. While Embiid and Mitchell Robinson are both listed as questionable, both are expected to be on the floor.
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