Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid might want to log off social media for a while. After Friday night's devastating loss to the New York Knicks, the big man's postgame comments have sparked a firestorm of criticism, with fans calling him out for what they see as classic loser behavior.
The Knicks now hold a commanding 3-0 series lead, powered by a combined 56 points from Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. Philadelphia started hot but couldn't contain New York's backcourt, and the series is all but over. But instead of taking responsibility, Embiid decided to point fingers at the officials.
“They shot 32 free throws, we had 16. We're not a team that shoots a lot of threes. We attack, put the ball on the ground. I don't know,” Embiid said after the game. “I guess it's good when New York wins, so we've just got to have that mentality of just not fouling, I guess, and being smart enough to not put ourselves in a position where they're going to take advantage of it.”
Unsurprisingly, NBA fans were quick to pile on. One Knicks supporter fired back: “Whoever said that teams take on the personality of their best player was spot on. But in this case it's the whole city. Nothing but losers.” Another fan pointed out that eight of New York's free throws came from intentional fouls on Mitch Robinson, a deliberate Sixers strategy. And the criticism didn't stop there. “Spends more time foul hunting than playing actual basketball, then complains when the refs don't fall for every single bait,” wrote one user. “I don't understand how Sixer fans deal with this loser mentality.” Another called Embiid's mindset “actually pathetic.”
This isn't the first time Embiid's attitude has been questioned. Recently, Tiki Barber unleashed on Embiid, telling him to “stop being a baby” over injury complaints. And with the 76ers on the brink of elimination, the criticism is only getting louder.
Meanwhile, the Knicks are looking like a team destined for greatness. They've dismantled the Hawks by 51 points in an elimination game, crushed the 76ers by 39 in Game 1, and followed that with a 14-point road win. Head coach Mike Brown's squad has been nearly unstoppable, and they're now heavy favorites to reach the Eastern Conference Finals — and maybe even their first NBA Finals since 1999.
For Embiid and the Sixers, the series is all but over. But the real battle might be for the star's reputation. If he keeps making excuses instead of owning his team's failures, the backlash will only intensify.
