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Despite being members of Team Stephen, Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green had no mercy on his teammate Joel Embiid, having his fair share of fun trash-talking with the often outspoken big man.
“We talked a lot about him not being able to guard me,” Embiid said of Green, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Then, of course, he mentioned when they came back… when we blew the [24-point] lead against them. Of course, he had to mention that.”
Embiid had his first chance to stake his claim as the trash-talking king of the NBA last year, as his Philadelphia 76ers carved a 24-point lead on the defending champs. Green and his Warriors, in true fashion, got off to a furious start in the third quarter, cutting down their deficit and eventually escaping with a 124-116 win.
The Warriors assaulted the 76ers with a 47-15 third-quarter, completely erasing their advantage in one quarter and even leading by 10 points heading into the fourth quarter — a thing Green wouldn't let Embiid forget.
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Yet his overall performance in his first All-Star Game confirmed every suspicion of greatness he had prior to getting voted a starter and making his first appearance.
“During the whole season, I kind of thought that I was a top-5, top-10 player in the league,” said Embiid. “Coming in here before the game, I wanted confirmation of it. And I felt like I can hang with them. But I had a lot of fun.”
Embiid tallied 19 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes, highlighted by two notable blocks on Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and Paul George down the stretch, despite a 148-145 loss in his first game.
