The Philadelphia 76ers have clinched a Game 3 win in the Playoffs to take a decisive 3-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets, though Game 3 was the most controversial of the series.
Joel Embiid had a rough game where he kicked Nic Claxton in the groin in the early goings of the contest. He wasn’t ejected or reprimanded, and now Doc Rivers has implied Embiid was being pushed to act out by the Nets.
“Okay, it is what it is. That’s what teams do now, and then when you respond, you get suspended. So we gotta be very careful.”
Allie LaForce: "There was certainly an element of egging on when it came to Embiid. How did you think your team handled it?"
Doc Rivers: "That's what teams do now and then when you respond you get suspended. So we gotta be very careful."pic.twitter.com/xOxifkj39e
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 21, 2023
Head coaches always protect their star players, so it’s not surprising to see Rivers defend Embiid by implicitly blaming the Nets for aggravating Embiid and the league for punishing players when they respond. Given the insane ejections of James Harden and Nicolas Claxton, trying to figure out what the referees’ intentions in this game were is not an easy task.
Second-Round Loading For The 76ers
After the Nets controlled most of the game and looked to make the series 2-1, they completely fell apart at the end and lost. The 76ers can start looking ahead to their likely matchup with the Boston Celtics in the next round, which is bound to be a series that decides the entire future of the franchise.
Even if Embiid is suspended by the league for his actions, he will miss Game 4, where the 76ers can close the series out without him. If they fail to do so, Embiid gets to come back to Game 5 rested. We have to be careful, though, as this is the same 76ers team that almost blew a 3-0 lead to the Toronto Raptors last season.
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