• Nicolas Claxton is coming after the reigning regular season MVP
• Claxton was asked if he enjoyed dunking on Embiid, something he said yes to and revealed he takes the matchup personally
• Embiid’s 76ers swept Claxton’s Nets out of the first round in the 2023 Playoffs
A brewing rivalry in the Eastern Conference over the last few seasons has been between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Outside the obvious Ben Simmons and James Harden connection, it seems Nets’ center Nicolas Claxton has a bone to pick with reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
Claxton was asked if he enjoyed dunking on Embiid, which led to Claxton revealing he takes their matchup personally.
“It felt good, that’s a matchup I take very personally.”
“How’s it feel to dunk on Joel Embiid?” Nicolas Claxton – “It felt good, that’s a matchup I take very personal.”
by u/ClaxOwnsEmFlop in nba
Claxton and Embiid have had their fair share of on-court scuffles over the last season. The dunk that Claxton is referring to led to the Nets’ big man getting ejected from the game for excessively taunting Embiid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXP_YYwhabg
Apart from that, Embiid attempted to kick Claxton after the Nets’ star stepped over Embiid during the playoffs. There’s little love lost between them, and could be a rivalry that intensifies over the next few seasons.
The Nets And 76ers Should’ve Been Top-Tier Rivals
In 2021, the Nets and 76ers looked like two of the best teams in the East outside of the Milwaukee Bucks. After the trade that saw Ben Simmons and James Harden switch jerseys, there was a lot of hype for the matchups between the division rivals. Unfortunately, they never lived up to scratch, and the Nets ended up trading away their stars to rebuild last winter.
Claxton averaged 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in the playoff series against Embiid, being outplayed by the injured MVP, who averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 blocks. Embiid missed Game 4 of the series.
With long-term questions surrounding both sides, it’ll be interesting to see if Claxton can compete against Embiid at the highest level once again.
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