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Grant Williams recalled being nearly stomped to death by Joel Embiid in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Williams suffered a busted lip from hitting his face on the floor but did not need any more medical attention.
On the Run Your Race podcast, Williams told Theo Pinson what it felt like when Embiid put his foot on his head in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He didn't realize at first that it was Embiid's foot that caught him as he wanted to get back on court as quickly as possible.
"I dived for the ball, and all of a sudden, I just felt my face go to the ground," Williams said.
"I felt like my teeth went through my lip. I get up, checked if my nose is broken. I was feeling pretty fine. It wasn't painful. And then I see blood, and I started leaking."
He added:
"Luckily, he didn't land his weight on it because he stepped and once he fell out, he stood on my head and leaned to the left. I might have been dead. I might have been out of here."
Following the incident, Embiid apologized to Williams. The cameras caught the MVP speaking to Williams, who understood what transpired and held no ill will.
"My bad," Embiid said. "I tried to jump over. ... But ended up in the air."
"It's the playoffs, brother," Williams replied. "I know you was going for the ball. … This is what we battle for."
Williams and the Boston Celtics ended up eliminating Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. However, they fell to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Grant Williams secures bag, signs four-year deal
Grant Williams entered restricted free agency this summer and secured the bag worth $54 million. Williams was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks from the Boston Celtics in a sign-and-trade deal. The Celtics already got Kristaps Porzingis, which made Williams expendable.
The 24-year-old forward now brings his energy, hustle and defense to the Mavericks. He appears to be a perfect fit for Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who both need a good perimeter defender by their side all the time.
Dallas' main problem last season was their lack of perimeter defense after trading Dorian Finney-Smith to acquire Irving. Grant Williams fills that gap, but the question remains — have the Mavericks done enough to make the playoffs next season?
