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Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid has become one of New York’s most hated figures during his team's first-round playoff series against the Knicks. Many have accused Embiid of intentionally playing dirty to injure New York's players. So, Knicks fans compiled a montage of all his questionable non-basketball plays thus far.
Embiid's lowlight reel features his Flagrant 1 foul on Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson in Game 3. After falling to the ground, the reigning MVP grabbed Robinson's right leg mid-air, pulling him to the floor. Robinson was later ruled out for Game 4 with an ankle injury.
In the montage, Embiid can also be seen elbowing, kneeing, kicking and stepping on various Knicks players. Most notably, he kneed Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in the groin while running up the court in Game 3. Many argued that the play was flagrant worthy. However, the Sixers superstar got off scot-free.
It's debatable whether all of Embiid's non-basketball plays have been intentional. However, the seven-time All-Star sparked additional controversy with his Game 3 postgame comments advocating for increased physicality.
"They wanna bring their physicality, and we can be physical, too, and we are," Embiid said. "So, it goes both ways."
Thus, it appears Embiid may have deliberately ratcheted up his playoff physicality to match up with New York.
Also Read: "Pi**es me off": Joel Embiid doesn't mince words after Knicks fans take over Sixers' home court
Knicks lead Sixers 3-1 despite Joel Embiid's repeated non-basketball plays
Apart from Mitchell Robinson's ankle injury, Joel Embiid's questionable non-basketball plays throughout Round 1 seemingly haven't affected New York too severely. On Sunday, the Knicks dispatched the Sixers 97-92 on the road in Game 4, taking a 3-1 series lead returning home.
While Embiid led Philly, tallying a team-best 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, he struggled with inefficiency. The superstar big man shot just 7-for-19 (36.8%), missing all five of his fourth-quarter shot attempts.
Meanwhile, Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson stepped up big-time, scoring a franchise playoff-record 47 points to go along with 10 assists on 52.9% shooting.
Following the Sixers' home letdown, Embiid touched on how he ran out of steam late in the game after logging a team-high 44 minutes.
“Your competitive nature is always going to take over and I felt like they always come back in the game in this series,” Embiid said. “So, I was like, I've got nothing to lose, just going to push myself and obviously, it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to.”
The superstar big man also referenced Philly's poor team shooting (29-for-82, 35.4%) and rebounding (outrebounded 52-42) as contributing factors to its loss.
Embiid and Co. will look to stave off elimination in front of a likely raucous and hostile Knicks crowd during Tuesday's Game 5 clash.
Watch: 'F**k Embiid' chants break out in Philadelphia following Joel Embiid's Game 4 flop vs Knicks
