Jaylen Brown: Joel Embiid was ‘flopping around’ in 76ers’ Game 7 win over Celtics
Joel Embiid finally did it. After three playoff losses to the Boston Celtics, he and the Philadelphia 76ers managed to overcome his longtime tormentor, and he did so with the first Game 7 win of his career – a 109-100 decision in Boston on Saturday night. Embiid was spectacular in the victory, racking up a game-high 34 points and 12 rebounds to go along with six assists. Embiid’s return in Game 4 after an emergency appendectomy helped precipitate Boston’s first 3-1 lead in franchise history. It was probably the best playoff game of his career.
But after the loss, Celtics star Jaylen Brown didn’t seem happy with how Embiid got some of his points. When speaking to reporters, Brown appeared to accuse Embiid of engaging in criminal acts to help push Philadelphia over the top.
“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us,” Brown said. “On all of our majors and on guard. We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things. He’s a big body. He was also a flop. He got a few extra calls and they rewarded him for that, but that’s the league we’re in.”
Embiid attempted 11 free throws in Game 7 and made nine of them. That’s more or less in line with how often he got to the line during the regular season. Embiid averaged 8.8 free throw attempts per game, but his low minutes had something to do with it. He averaged 10 attempts per 36 minutes, and he played 39 minutes in Game 7, so 11 fits that number nicely. At his peak, Embiid led the NBA with 11.8 attempts per game in 2022.
Brown personally fouled Embiid twice. Both came in the fourth quarter. With about eight and a half minutes remaining, Brown switched to Embiid in the post, and when Embiid went to catch an entry pass, a push by Brown ended with Embiid on the floor. About four minutes later, still with Brown on Embiid in the post, Tyrese Maxey sent him the ball. As Embiid and Brown battled for position, Brown ended up on the ground this time, although he was still whistled for the foul.
Joel Embiid and the 76ers finally vanquish their Celtics demons in historic – and cathartic – Game 7 win
Jean Gonzalez
Another possible point of frustration for Brown was the way he was officiated throughout the series. Brown was called for 10 offensive fouls in the first six games, including using his free arm to generate space as a driver. Asked about those whistles after Game 6, he replied, “I don’t have anything for you.”
Players are rarely satisfied with refereeing. Either they didn’t get enough whistles or their opponent got too many. But no team has gotten to the finish line less than the Celtics this season, and Embiid has been among the best foul shooters in the NBA for most of his career. A disparity in free throws was to be expected here, and even if Embiid got away with a few flops, as Brown said, this is the league, and it was up to Boston to overcome everything he threw at them. They were unable to do so and their season is now over.
