Joel Embiid's vicious elbow on Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen could have been one that turned the tide in favor of the road team, as a Flagrant 2 call would have seen the Philadelphia 76ers big man exit with only seconds left in the first half of Game 2 on Monday.
The officials ruled the contact a Flagrant 1 foul, saving Embiid from an ejection. Yet Allen, who took the elbow at neck height and could have faced more severe consequences, didn't think there was any ill intent during the play:
“I don’t think he was intentionally trying to hurt anyone,” Allen said. “He was just making an aggressive play in the playoffs.”
Jarrett Allen just took a Joel Embiid elbow right in the face pic.twitter.com/wZCcob2wUp
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 16, 2019
Embiid didn't sound particularly remorseful after a rousing Game 2 win, not surprised by the call, but also not fully convincing in terms of regretting his actions:
“I wasn’t surprised,” Embiid said, according to Frank Isola of The Athletic. “I saw the replay. Obviously it wasn’t intentional. I got him pretty good and I’m sorry about it.”
Embiid enjoyed a long laugh next to Ben Simmons as he offered his apology. Simmons giggled as he offered his apology one more time:
“OK. I’m sorry about it,” Embiid added. “It wasn’t intentional. It’s just trying to be aggressive. I’m not usually humble. That’s why (Ben is) laughing. But, uh, yeah, I was trying to be aggressive.”
The Sixers' star big man has often made bruising moves in the paint, but none more brutal than this neck-height elbow, one which could have resulted in Allen getting a concussion, knocking the Nets center out of the series until passing protocol.
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