Draymond Green no longer has the dirtiest play of the NBA postseason.
In the first half of Philadelphia's game against Brooklyn, Joel Embiid kicked Nic Claxton in the groin after Claxton stepped over him.
Joel Embiid kicks Claxton after he stood over him.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 20, 2023
pic.twitter.com/hGWeiE8AnP
Despite the intentional nature of the act, Embiid stayed in the game, escaping with just a Flagrant-1 call. That's much less than the punishment for Green, who was ejected and suspended for one game after he stepped on the chest of Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, after Sabonis grabbed his ankle.
Draymond Green stomps on Domantas Sabonis.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 18, 2023
He was hit with a flagrant 2 foul and ejected. pic.twitter.com/gYWvNO9lHR
Granted, Embiid did not follow up his unsportsmanlike act with dancing around and taunting the crowd, which included NBA commissioner Adam Silver. But Charles Barkley thinks Embiid's act was worse than what Draymond did.
Chuck: “I think his was worse than Draymond’s, to be honest with you. … I thought he should have got ejected.”
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 21, 2023
The Inside Guys react to Embiid’s Flagrant 1 pic.twitter.com/8OsyLU3Nsx
"I think he should have been ejected," Barkley said on "Inside the NBA", drawing a shout of agreement from Shaquille O'Neal. "I think his was worse than Draymond's. He tried to kick the guy in the junk!"
Barkley argued that Embiid shouldn't have been spared ejection "just because he's a bad shot."
Perhaps that was on the officials' minds in the third quarter, when James Harden hit Royce O'Neale in a sensitive area, and did get a Flagrant-2 and an ejection.
James Harden ejected.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 21, 2023
pic.twitter.com/rK5mv8bzuK
From our perspective, the Embiid kick was much more blatant and obviously intentional than Harden's contact with O'Neale. Perhaps the idea is that justice was served as long as one Sixers superstar got ejected?
Perhaps motivated by the constant groin shots, the Nets outscored the Sixers 35-18 in the third quarter. Going forward, the Nets might want to wear protective cups.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!