The Toronto Raptors are staying alive as best they can in their playoff tussle with Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, as winning Game 4 put some pressure back on Doc Rivers’ squad. Containing a physical marvel like Embiid at the peak of his powers is never an easy task.
Embiid was not himself in Game 4 after missing on a sweep. After taking Toronto behind the woodshed and ending up at the free throw line constantly in the first three games of this series, Embiid was only able to scrounge together 21 points on 7-16 shooting. With four fouls, Embiid was not as impactful on defense.
Embiid started to show his frustration in the fourth quarter of Game 4. On top of shoving Pascal Siakam in a move that the Raptors star thought was beneath a player of that caliber, Embiid left the court while giving a sarcastic golf clap to the referees. Embiid, of all people, seems to think the refs are out to get him.
Embiid was making fun of the referees by ironically claiming that he “admired the job they did today.” In doing so, he insinuated that the refs are giving Toronto preferential treatment in this series. You heard that right, folks. Joel Embiid somehow thinks he isn’t getting fouled enough. You can’t make this up.
Joel Embiid: “I admire the job that they did today. To me, it felt like they had one job coming in here tonight and they got it done. So congrats to them." pic.twitter.com/0cNwytssfi
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) April 24, 2022
Joel Embiid is foolish for saying the referees favor the Toronto Raptors.
No team lives and dies at the free-throw line more than Philadelphia. While this is due to both Embiid and James Harden being very difficult to stop in the paint, Embiid needs to have enough self-awareness to know that he is the benefactor of some superstar calls every now and again.
The Raptors played the first two games of the series in constant foul trouble. They were fouling the hell out of Embiid, yes, but there were some star calls that only get made in the postseason mixed in. Embiid should be very careful about biting the hand that feeds him in this series.
Respectfully, Joel Embiid should take his own advice.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 23, 2022
Embiid is going to need to get to the line frequently to push Philadelphia to the second round, as a thumb injury that will eventually require surgery could easily be crippling enough to make him less dominant as a finisher. Like it or not, the officials will play a big part in deciding the winner.
Embiid complaining about fouls while being up 3-1 and getting such a great whistle at home that Siakam and Fred VanVleet were immediately in foul trouble is so hilarious it borders on parity. We’ll see if the refs are still out to get Embiid back in his friendly confines.