76ers’ Joel Embiid expresses frustration with officials, himself and his teammates following loss to Hawks

PHILADELPHIA — 76ers All-Star middle Joel Embiid was understandably upset after the Sixers had been eradicated from postseason competition by the Atlanta Hawks in Recreation 7 on Sunday evening. Embiid, who performed by the whole lot of the collection with a torn meniscus in his knee, left all of it out on the ground for Philadelphia, however in the end it wasn’t sufficient in a 103-96 loss. Now, the Sixers will enter the offseason after shedding within the second spherical for the third time in 4 seasons. 

After the sport, Embiid expressed his frustration with a number of various things — the officers, himself, and his teammates. First, it was the officers, who Embiid thought did a lower than stellar job all through the collection. 

“There’s a variety of stuff that went mistaken,” Embiid mentioned. “Whether or not it’s [that] they’ll foul me all they need. Whether or not it’s the officiating. Tonight, you bought guys fouling, placing their arms up with me going for a dunk, they usually don’t name something. It’s simply the final three video games, it’s been the identical manner, time and again. 

“Then, final sport, I get fined for having my arms out whereas I’m getting pushed within the freaking again. And I received fined simply because, I don’t know why. So, there’s a variety of stuff that went mistaken. As a workforce, we nonetheless should be higher. We nonetheless had an excellent probability to win. We simply made a variety of errors.” 

Embiid then appeared to show his finger from the referees to a teammate. When discussing what he thought was the turning level within the sport, Embiid pointed to a play that Ben Simmons made — or did not make — with three and a half minutes remaining within the fourth quarter. After spinning round Hawks ahead Danilo Gallinari within the submit, Simmons had an open alternative on the rim. As a substitute of going up for what seemed to be a simple dunk, Simmons handed the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled and went on to make one among his two free throws. 

If Simmons had accomplished the play with a dunk, the sport would have been tied, and the Sixers could have gained some momentum. As a substitute, the Sixers had been nonetheless down one following Thybulle’s free throws, and the Hawks rapidly capitalized by including to their lead on the following possession. In Embiid’s eyes, that individual play served as an enormous blow to Philadelphia’s possibilities. 

“I’ll be trustworthy. I believed the turning level was when, I don’t know say it. I believed the turning level was we had an open shot and we made one free throw and we missed the opposite they usually got here down and scored,” Embiid mentioned. “We didn’t get an excellent possession on the opposite finish and Trae [Young] got here again and he made a 3 after which from there, down 4, it’s on me. I turned the ball over and tried to make one thing occur from the perimeter. However I believed that was the turning level.”

To these of us that had been within the enviornment, Embiid’s unhappiness with Simmons’s determination to cross up the dunk try was instantly evident. 

Simmons has had his fair proportion of struggles over time, however Embiid has at all times had his again. That is the primary time, that I bear in mind at the very least, that he publicly questioned Simmons’ timidness on the offensive finish. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see how these feedback impression the dynamic between the 2 gamers shifting ahead, if in any respect. 

Pretty much as good as Embiid was over the course of the collection in opposition to the Hawks, he isn’t innocent in defeat, and he’s properly conscious of that reality. Amongst different areas of enchancment, he must do a greater job of caring for the ball. He had 25 complete turnovers over the ultimate 4 video games in opposition to Atlanta, lots of which got here at inopportune instances and instantly resulted in transition alternatives for the Hawks. 

Embiid additionally had his fair proportion of struggles from the ground within the collection. He shot simply 9 of 24 in Recreation 6, and was an abysmal 4 for 20 in Recreation 4. The Sixers misplaced that sport, and the problem that Embiid had producing factors was a significant component. So, whereas Embiid may need been the MVP runner-up this season, he is aware of that he must be even higher shifting ahead to ensure that Philadelphia to advance previous the second spherical. 

“[I] simply gotta be higher. Personally I felt like I took an enormous step this 12 months, and there’s a lot extra I can do,” Embiid mentioned. “I might be so a lot better… There’s a lot extra I can do. I progressed rather a lot this 12 months, and subsequent 12 months I’m going to be even higher… It’s on me. I received to be higher. I received to take one other step with it involves caring for my physique, and my sport as an entire as a result of I nonetheless really feel like I’ve a variety of untapped potential that individuals haven’t actually seen.” 

When he was requested if he wished the Sixers to run again the identical, or an identical squad, subsequent season, Embiid was noncommittal, saying that he didn’t assume it was the fitting time to get into such a dialogue. For people who prefer to learn between the strains, that reply may in all probability be interpreted as a “no.” 

Given the way in which they flamed out within the postseason regardless of ending with the perfect file within the East for the primary time in 20 years, modifications, of some type, are probably in retailer for the Sixers over the offseason. Solely time will inform precisely what these modifications seem like, however Embiid is assuredly not the one particular person within the group that’s pissed off after such a disappointing finish to a as soon as promising season.