Joel Embiid brutally mocked by NBA fans as Tyrese Haliburton inches closer to ECF: "Should be ashamed tbh"

Joel Embiid caught strays from fans as Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers inch closer to their second straight Eastern Conference finals appearance.

On Sunday, the fourth-seeded Pacers defeated the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers 129-109 to go up 3-1 in their semifinals series at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Several fans mocked the Philadelphia 76ers star for not having a conference finals appearance.

"Joel Embiid should be ashamed tbh lol," one fan posted.

"Hali about to make 2 ECF appearances while Embiid didn’t even sniff one," another fan tweeted.

"Hali back to back ECF appearances before one Embiid CF appearance," a fan said.

Several others praised the Pacers star for his impressive play during this year's playoffs.

"Hali top 5 player in the league," one fan commented.

"Hali a better playoff performer than an MVP," another fan wrote.

"If Tyrese Haliburton wins the chip, he will be the greatest Pacer in their entire history," a fan tweeted.

Embiid was named the NBA MVP in 2023. He led the league in scoring in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. However, playoff success has been elusive to the seven-time All-Star as he has never led a team to the conference finals in nine years.

Meanwhile, Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, has the opportunity to have his second conference finals appearance in just his fifth season in the NBA. Last season, the Pacers were swept in the East finals by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.

Joel Embiid gives Tyrese Haliburton advice in playoff run

Tyrese Haliburton's relationship with Joel Embiid could be attributed to their Olympic run last season. According to an article by The Athletic's Jared Weiss on Wednesday, the former MVP has been giving advice to Haliburton amid their playoff run.

One of the things they discussed was how to handle fan criticisms. Haliburton told Weiss that Embiid and Jayson Tatum gave him pointers on handling scrutiny.

"Haliburton credits Embiid and Tatum for ‘keeping it 100’ conversations that helped him build that immunity to rejection," Weiss wrote. "Embiid, who has been subject to ridicule as he fails to stay healthy, has been texting with Haliburton throughout the postseason, imploring him to shoot the ball more."

With the Indiana Pacers' impressive playoff run, Tyrese Haliburton has been at the center of conversations. He has hit two game-winners in this year's playoffs, including the one that sealed the Game 2 victory and a 2-0 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Game 5 of the series between Cleveland and Indiana will be on Tuesday at Rocket Arena. Should the Pacers win, they will face the winner of the Boston Celtics-New York Knicks series in the East finals.