Frustrated Joel Embiid rips officials for ‘stupid [expletive] call’ in Game 6
The league MVP was displeased with a goaltending call.
Joel Embiid had some harsh words for officials after the Celtics beat the Sixers 95-86 in a must-win Game 6 Thursday night.
He was displeased with a goaltending call that he was whistled for. Malcolm Brogdon drove to the hoop with 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Embiid swatted the ball before it touched the glass. He thought the block was clean, but the referee gave the basket to Brodgon.
Embiid voiced his frustration after the game.
“We didn’t start the way we wanted to,” Embiid said. “We didn’t send a message. They were too comfortable. Brogdon coming off the bench had 11 quick points.
“Between the momentum changing and that stupid [expletive] goaltending call, those type of calls can’t happen. This is the playoffs. If you’re going to make those type of calls, you’ve got to be sure about it. That’s just not OK.”
The Celtics opened up a double-digit first-quarter lead to start the game. Philadelphia had slashed it to four when the goaltending call was made. The Sixers played from behind most of the game and gave the Celtics a scare in the second half before ultimately folding.
Embiid, who was voted league MVP at the start of this series, had a so-so game by his standards. He finished with 26 points on 9-19 shooting, a clear step down from averaging 33.5 points in the Sixers’ previous two games.
The Celtics reverted to their double-big starting line-up with Robert Williams starting alongside Al Horford in place of Derrick White in an attempt to slow Embiid down.
“There’s a reason why they went to that double-big,” Embiid said. “To have someone to protect the rim, and he was pulling over every single time. That’s where we’ve got to have that trust and keep moving the ball and finding guys and trusting each other and keep taking those shots.”
Embiid, who tied for his best shooting percentage (47.4) of the series but shot his fewest amount of field-goal attempts since Game 3, said he needs the ball more.
“I’ve got to be more demanding,” Embiid said. “We kind of went away from what was working in the beginning … as a big, it’s hard to go get the ball and just create for yourself, but I’ve just got to go get it.”
The Celtics have forced a winner-take-all Game 7, which will be played at TD Garden in Boston on Sunday.
“I feel pretty good about it,” Embiid said. “They made shots. We’ve just got to make sure we’re ready for Sunday. Big game for us, you know, Game 7. Who doesn’t love Game 7? It’s going to be exciting.”
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