PHILADELPHIA — The New York Knicks took exception to the flagrant foul Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid dedicated on Knicks heart Mitchell Robinson within the first quarter of Philadelphia’s 125-114 Recreation 3 victory, calling it “soiled” and saying Robinson was lucky to keep away from severe harm on the play.
“It was soiled,” Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo mentioned. “It was soiled.”
“I imply, we’re simply completely happy Mitch did not get a severe harm on that,” Knicks ahead Josh Hart added. “I am all for robust fouls, robust playoff fouls, however that is one thing that may put a man out for a major period of time. So we’re fortunate he did not get severely damage throughout that point.”
The play got here with 4:34 within the first quarter, when Embiid fell to the bottom making an attempt to attract an offensive foul — which wasn’t known as — after which he grabbed at Robinson’s proper leg as he landed on the bottom close by.
Robinson, who was questionable coming into the sport with left ankle harm administration — the identical ankle he had surgical procedure on earlier this season — fell to the bottom. As the sport went on his motion steadily obtained worse, to the purpose the place he ultimately was dominated out after halftime with a left ankle sprain.
The play was reviewed to see if it might be a Flagrant 1 or a Flagrant 2. If it was deemed the latter, Embiid would have been ejected from the sport. Finally, although, crew chief Zach Zarba dominated it a Flagrant 1 and mentioned in a pool report after the sport that there was a unanimous ruling among the many three officers doing the sport — Zarba, James Williams and Kevin Cutler — plus the replay heart, that it ought to be a Flagrant 1.
“In that state of affairs, the crew will get collectively, we go and evaluation the foul. On this occasion, the crew was unanimous together with the replay heart official in Secaucus that this foul was pointless however didn’t rise to the extent of a flagrant 2,” Zarba mentioned. “The pointless contact rose to the extent of a flagrant 1 however we had been unanimous that this didn’t rise to the extent of extreme contact, pointless and extreme, which might have been a flagrant 2 ejection. That is why we stored it a flagrant 1.”
Embiid, in explaining his facet of the story after the sport, mentioned as he was laying on the bottom he started to assume again to when Jonathan Kuminga fell on him in San Francisco again on Jan. 30, when Embiid suffered a meniscus harm that required surgical procedure that stored him out for 2 months.
“Clearly Mitchell Robinson leaping and making an attempt to land, making an attempt to ensure he does not land on me as a result of clearly we all know the historical past that I’ve with Kuminga touchdown on my knee,” Embiid mentioned. “So I sort of had some flashbacks, when he got here right down to it.
“It was unlucky. I did not imply to harm anyone. I simply … in these conditions I gotta shield myself, as a result of I have been in means too many conditions the place I am all the time the recipient of the unhealthy finish of it. So yeah, it was unlucky, however bodily sport. They need to deliver the physicality. We could be bodily too, and we’re. So it goes each methods. I get bumped in every single place, and I simply hold enjoying and I am not going to take it. I gotta hold my thoughts and make it possible for I do not get exterior myself. However yeah, I simply gotta hold being myself, being aggressive and bodily.”
That wasn’t the one controversial play involving Embiid within the first quarter, as he picked up an offensive foul after coming along with Isaiah Hartenstein a pair minutes earlier and catching him with a knee to the midsection.
Hartenstein did not take a lot of a difficulty with the decision, which was reviewed and known as an offensive foul, and mentioned the largest downside was being caught with one thing on Embiid’s knee brace.
“It is extra of there was one thing in his knee — his brace or one thing that was sharp largely,” Hartenstein mentioned. “I do not assume he did something loopy flagrant. It was simply one thing that was in his knee brace that sort of chipped me. On the finish of the day, I did not assume it was that flagrant.”
For his half, Embiid mentioned he wasn’t certain why the decision was modified from a technical to an offensive foul upon evaluation.
“I simply assume the sport being bodily, you have a look at the primary replay, the place I get bumped and I exploit a swim transfer to not get hit, after which I obtained an offensive foul after which that will get checked … I by no means seen it, the place you name an offensive foul after checking it on the monitor, when you did not name it on the on the precise play,” Embiid mentioned. “That was the primary for me.”
As for the Knicks, they now are unsure about Robinson’s standing shifting ahead within the sequence — a possible difficulty given he and Hartenstein are attempting to decelerate Embiid, who completed with a playoff career-high 50 factors.
“It is all the time tough when he is out,” Hartenstein mentioned of Robinson, who did not communicate to reporters. “I feel collectively we’re most likely the most effective heart duo within the league proper now. So when he is out it is slightly irritating, particularly as a result of I used to be in foul bother. So I feel Treasured [Achiuwa] got here in and did a very good job. We simply need to do a greater job and be extra bodily.”