Joel Embiid decided to act like a 10-second-memory goldfish after kicking Nic Claxton in the groin, following Ted Lasso’s advice.
The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings series was chaotic, so the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets decided to up the ante with a wild Game 2 that featured two groin shots, one for Nic Claxton for taunting and one for James Harden for elbowing Royce O’Neale between the legs.
The odd thing is that James Harden was dismissed for a play that appeared to be relatively unimportant and unintentional. Joel Embiid, who blatantly kicked Claxton between the legs while he was on his back, was not sent off, however.
What did Joel Embiid have to say about kicking Nic Claxton?
When asked about the incident after the game Embiid, like a five-year-old who has been caught red-handed, claimed not to remember what happened and then changed the subject.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember. Like I said, we’re up 3-0. We move on. It takes me a lot to process a game after that type of fight. I gotta watch the tape, see what we can do better, and what I can do better. I’m just happy we got the win.”
The Nets were clearly looking to get more physical and antagonistic with Embiid after he carved them up in the first two games of this series — Claxton clearly stepped over him intentionally and was eventually ejected after another taunting incident. Embiid did make clear that he recognized the strategy and knew he was too important to engage in any more back-and-forth. But the Nets are likely to employ this strategy again, so we’ll see how well he can keep his emotions in check.
