The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers had one of the most intense first-round battles of recent memory, full of hard fouls, trash-talking, and clutch plays. However, it was particularly intense when Joel Embiid pulled on Mitchell Robinson's leg from the ground.
Robinson has now finally given clarity on the situation, via NBA Central.
“Nothing really…it really wasn't nothing,” Robinson said when Jalen Brunson asked what was going through his mind when Embiid took him down. “Like at the moment. But then like I keep seeing the video over and over, and I'm like alright bro, come on now. But like, I mean it wasn't that serious, I mean he ain't have to grab my leg.”
Despite his relaxed tone, Robinson did accuse the league of giving Embiid special treatment.
“For sure,” Robinson continued. “Hell if I did it, I would've been out and suspended. I would've been up out of there.”
Although the seven-footer suffered an ankle sprain due to the incident, New York had the last laugh, winning the series in six games.
Now that the season is over and the dust has settled, was this an example of a superstar getting away with a dirty play? Or was it truly not a big deal?
The Knicks got the short end of the stick in this scenario.
Embiid pleaded his innocence after the game, explaining that he had PTSD from his injury, via ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
“Obviously Mitchell Robinson jumping and trying to land, trying to make sure he doesn't land on me because obviously we know the history that I have with [Warriors' Jonathan] Kuminga landing on my knee,” Embiid said. “So I kind of had some flashbacks, when he came down to it.”
Embiid was referencing when Kuminga fell on him on January 30th, causing him to need meniscus surgery and miss two months. The Cameroonian superstar didn't want a repeat of that incident, so he took Robinson down before the Knicks' big man could fall on his recently repaired meniscus.
It's understandable to want to avoid injury, especially in Embiid's case, as he's been plagued by different ailments his entire career. However, it still wasn't a basketball play, and a regular player probably would've gotten a harsher punishment. Outside of getting called for a flagrant foul, nothing happened to the former MVP.
Every professional sports league protects its stars to some extent, as they're the ones who sell the tickets. However, the NBA should be careful about letting dirty plays slide, as it sets an unsafe precedent that could lead to even more injuries.
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