Joel Embiid spoke about the controversial ending to Game 2 of the Knicks vs. 76ers, as New York walked away with a 104-101 win and a 2-0 series lead. Embiid was not happy about the missed foul calls on Tyrese Maxey at the end, using harsh words to describe the situation.
"Unacceptable. Tyrese (Maxey) got fouled a couple of times. We saw the same thing happen in Miami with Tyler Herro, that's just unacceptable to put us in that situation. It's f------ unacceptable to lose a game like this in the playoffs."
Embiid is referring to the extremely physical play by the Knicks at the end of the game to try and deny 76ers' guard Tyrese Maxey an opportunity to score. The footage shows Maxey being bumped while Jalen Brunson is holding his jersey to limit his mobility.
Even with the game going against the 76ers, Embiid reiterated his very strong belief that the 76ers will win this series even with the deficit they currently face.
"We should be 2-0, so we’re good, we’re going to win this series. We know what we have to fix, we did a better job today, so we'll fix it. We're the better team, and we're gonna keep fighting.”
Embiid put up 34 points and 10 rebounds in the game while Maxey played through the flu to put up 35 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists in the game.
The star duo's contributions weren't enough, as the Knicks received double-digit production from all five starters, with Donte DiVincenzo (19 PTS) and Josh Hart (21 PTS, 15 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK) playing just as big a role as team-leader Jalen Brunson (24 PTS, 8 REB, 27.6 FG%)
Nick Nurse Claims Referees Ignored His Timeout Call
76ers' head coach Nick Nurse went to the post-game press conference and complained about the referees ignoring him as he was trying to call a timeout on the inbounds play where Brunson stole the ball for Maxey.
"I called timeout. The referee looked right at me, and ignored me. Tyrese Maxey got the ball. I called timeout again, then the melee started. I'm not gonna run out onto the floor to make sure I get his attention. I needed a timeout there to advance it, would have been good, but didn't happen.”
Fans are disputing what Nurse said, showing videos of him clearly still being undecided over wanting to take a timeout and not committing to communicate his desire for a break to the referees.
This series is getting really interesting. Many fans would say the 76ers looked like the better team tonight, but the result can't be argued with. The Knicks hustled right until the end to earn this win, though referee concerns will continue plaguing this series.
The 76ers have filed an official grievance with the league office for the officiating through the opening two games of the series. These grievances rarely lead to any material change, but with the series headed back to Philadelphia for Game 3, the 76ers will be looking to avoid another loss at all costs.
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