Joel Embiid once again failed to make a deep postseason run as the New York Knicks handed the Philadelphia 76ers a 4-2 series loss in the first round of the playoffs. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was too much to handle for the 76ers defense. The lefty guard tallied 35.5 points and 9 assists per game, which helped the Knicks acquire a decisive offensive advantage during the series. However, Embiid is seemingly displeased with the outcome of some of the offensive plays made by Brunson.
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The reigning MVP feels that Brunson should have been called for offensive fouls for committing “dislodging” violations on at least one of his jumpers. However, the Knicks guard got the whistle in his favor.
To bring his point home, he liked a tweet from 2021 where the NBA officials explained that if a player forces his body into a defender who is in the legal guarding position, then the refs should call an offensive foul. The tweet states, “An offensive foul should be called on this play, as the offensive player uses his right shoulder & hip to dislodge the defender and the offensive player lands outside his normal floor position.”
The officials used as example a play involving Stephen Curry, who during the play can be seen banging his body against a Bucks player while attempting a mid-range jumper. The referee called an offensive foul on Curry for the play for “dislodging.”
In that wake, NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen rolled out an X post complaining about how Embiid’s teammate Tyrese Maxey didn’t get a shooting foul called in his favor while Brunson did get the whistle in an identical situation. On one side of the screen, Maxey can be seen going for a floating jump shot in the lane while Josh Hart’s left hand touches his lower base. Then Maxey falls on the floor but the referees swallow the whistle.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the screen, Maxey is draped all around Brunson who uses his off-arm and body to fend off the defender while going for a floater. However, in this case, the refs call a shooting foul after mutual contact.
These observations have divided NBA fans. Some believe that Embiid and Hanlen are nitpicking while others suggested that Brunson was getting undeserved calls.
A debate erupts over the officiating during the Knicks-76ers series
An X user opined that there is a difference between Curry’s offensive foul and the shooting foul on Brunson. As per the NBA fan, while Curry knowingly leans into the body of the defender, the Knicks guard is going straight up for his natural shooting motion with the defender on his hip. The fan wrote, “Look I get peoples arguments that he did what the rule book says should be a foul, but in no way is this example the same sh*t as Brunson did. Steph throws his body into the contact. Brunson knew the defender would run into him if he pulled up so he did.”
However, some believed that Brunson gets favorable treatment from the refs. On the other hand, Maxey doesn’t get the calls he deserves. In that regard, a fan wrote, “So pathetic man Maxey has the worst whistle in the league.”
These cases illustrate the muddy nature of foul calls. While Embiid believes that Brunson was unfairly granted a shooting foul, instances like these don’t necessarily prove that the officiating was tilted in the Knicks’ favor. As someone who gets a lot of whistles, Embiid has also been in the midst of many 50-50 calls. Therefore, nitpicking a couple of plays doesn’t give us the complete picture of the officiating.
