Game 3 of the first-round series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers was mostly remembered for the controversy surrounding Sixers star Joel Embiid, as his hard foul committed on Knicks center Mitchell Robinson early in the first quarter was not taken lightly by New York’s players.
Even former Knicks players are taking exception to Embiid’s reckless play, as team legend Charles Oakley said to Newsday’s Barbara Barker that he wouldn’t let a play of that nature slide if he was on the court.
“I probably would have smacked [Embiid],” said Oakley “You can’t let him send that kind of message. If he had done something like that [when I played], he wouldn’t have gotten away with it.”
The Knicks’ first-round series versus the 76ers has become a cage match
The Knicks lost the game 125-114 as the 76ers cut the series lead to 2-1 in favor of New York behind Embiid’s 50 points. The hard foul on Robinson potentially led to him re-aggravating his ankle injury, as he is currently questionable for Game 4. It is unclear exactly when the injury occurred, but given the dangerous nature of the play, it can be safely assumed that it had an impact on his ankle.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if the series becomes more chippy after the increased physicality. Knicks guard Miles McBride said that they will need to, “throw the first punch and keep throwing them” in Game 4 Sunday afternoon, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper. How exactly they will deliver that punch remains to be seen, but the intensity is certainly kicked up a notch in the series as the Knicks look to gain a commanding 3-1 series advantage heading back to Madison Square Garden.
Oakley suggested that the Knicks make the reigning MVP in Embiid work more defensively and bring some added physicality to the rest of the series.
“If I’m the Knicks, this is what I do. I’m putting him in every pick-and-roll,” Oakley said to Newsday’s Barbara Barker. “Make him work . . . Then you might want to set a hard pick on him. Let’s see how it feels when someone puts you out there.”
Expect the rest of this first-round series to feature a lot of jabs from both teams, as the physicality this year has reignited the heated rivalry between the two teams that started during Oakley’s playing days back in the late 1980s and early 90s.
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