PHILADELPHIA–Round 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors is getting chippy and getting physical very quick. There has also been complaining on the side of Toronto when it comes to the foul disparity out on the floor.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse was upset that Joel Embiid got away with a few elbows in Game 1 and he even doubled down on those comments saying the officials need to have the guts to review those plays from Embiid.
To start Game 2, Embiid went right back at it as he scored 19 points in the first quarter, shot 11-for-12 from the free-throw line, and he finished with 31 points in a 112-97 win in Game 2.
Afterward, Embiid and Nurse looked like they were exchanging some words and the big fella got very candid after the game when discussing his conversation with Nurse.
“He’s a great coach, obviously’ said Embiid. “What he’s been able to accomplish and I’ve always been a big fan, but I told him, respectfully, to stop (expletive) about calls because I saw what he said last game. If you’re gonna triple-team somebody all game, they’re bound to get to the free-throw line or if you’re gonna push them off, and try to hold them off and all that stuff, they’re bound to get to the free-throw line so I feel like every foul was legit and probably should have been more, honestly.”
On the night, Embiid finished 12-for-14 from the line. Nurse is not the first coach to complain about the calls he gets down low. Other coaches have done so as well and Embiid responded to them as well.
“I got a lot of respect for all these coaches, I feel like they have self-awareness, but when this type of stuff is whether the referees to not call it anymore or just to motivate their guys to go out and play better and really put that in the referees’ hands to not call it,” said the big fella. “When the fouls are obvious as they were tonight, they put me on the floor a few times, and, to me, this is where it gets interesting for me because I’m like…