The New York Knicks clashed against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, and let's just say the game was very physical. Just in the first quarter, Joel Embiid was called for a flagrant 1 after he pulled Mitchell Robinson's leg while the Knicks big man was going up for a shot. This caused outrage from many fans, who felt that the 76ers center should have been ejected. After the game, Tom Thibodeau was asked if he felt that Embiid should have gotten a flagrant 2 for his actions. The New York head coach refused to voice an opinion, saying that the question would be good for a pool reporter to ask the officials, per The Athletic's Fred Katz.

And speaking of the referees, Knicks fans won't like what the postgame pool report says. According to the crew chief of the game, the officials deemed Embiid's action to be a flagrant 1 because the unnecessary contact “did not rise to the level of excessive contact.” Below is the full quote.

At the end of the day, the heated game resulted in a 125-114 Game 3 win for the 76ers. It was a forgettable night for New York, who eventually lost Robinson to a sprained ankle. After a back-and-forth first half, Philly pulled away as Embiid continued to pour in the points for a 50-piece.

“I didn't mean to hurt anybody,” Embiid said, in reference to his controversial foul. “I just, in those situations, I gotta protect myself because I've been in way too many situations where I'm always a recipient of the bad end of it.” (per ClutchPoints Sam DiGiovanni)

Knicks players react to Joel Embiid's foul

© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

However, several Knicks players weren't convinced. Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein all gave their thoughts on the incident as well.

“(I'm) happy Mitch (Robinson) didn't get a serious injury on that,” Hart stated. “I'm all for tough fouls, tough playoff fouls, but that's something that can put a guy out for a significant amount of time.”

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“I think the grab he did on Mitch was dirty,” DiVincenzo said.

“It's not a basketball play,” Hartenstein added.

Nevertheless, Hart did state that he wasn't surprised with the referees' decision to call it a flagrant 1, considering how Game 2 also had a bit of controversy to it. A few days ago, the NBA admitted that it missed several crucial calls during Game 2, some of which were linked to the play that resulted in DiVincenzo's dagger three-pointer.

“We knew what Game 3 was gonna be…especially with how Game 2 ended. Am I surprised? Not at all.” (per Knicks Videos)

As of now, social media is still in a flurry of debates and arguments regarding the foul. If there's one thing to take away from all of this, it's that the series will surely continue to be a physical one. Fans on both sides better be ready, because more drama will likely ensue in the coming games.