Over the past several years, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have reestablished a tense, highly physical interdivisional rivalry. Superstar Joel Embiid seems to have just suggested that this latter descriptor may be on the verge of reaching new levels during their second-round postseason bout.
Following his club's Game 1 blowout loss on Monday night, the former MVP discussed a particular, in-game run-in with Mikal Bridges that visibly sparked serious pain in his abdominal area, where, just a month before, he underwent emergency appendicitis surgery.
Though he acknowledged that he can't definitively say whether or not it was an intentional check from the forward, Embiid suggested that this instance has sparked a desire to get more aggressive on the hardwood, as he said, "I guess we got to go out and be physical too."
Without question, this response from the big man should have the Knicks on high alert moving forward in this semifinal series.
Not only do he and center Karl-Anthony Towns already have a history of duking it out on the floor, but let's not forget what happened the last time New York and Philadelphia clashed against one another in the playoffs.
Mitchell Robinson was shut down for half a season last Knicks, 76ers met
Hearing Embiid hint at someone else being a dirty player is jaw-droppingly ironic, especially when considering he's calling out a Knicks player.
When New York and Philadelphia last squared off in the postseason back in 2024, the big man egregiously pulled center Mitchell Robinson down by his feet while attempting a put-back, where he fell awkwardly to the floor and tweaked his ankle.
Over time, this ailment developed into a stress fracture, which forced him to undergo surgery that very summer and, ultimately, forced him to miss several months of the 2024-25 campaign.
Fortunately, now two years removed, Robinson has not only recovered from the operation, but is showing just how valuable he is to New York's success, specifically in this rematch against the Sixers, no less.
However, this history between Embiid and the Knicks, coupled with the sheer fact that he's widely regarded as one of the game's dirtiest players, makes his latest remarks hard to simply gloss over.
After enduring a 39-point beatdown, it was already expected that Philadelphia would be trying to come out in Wednesday's Game 2 with a different form of aggression. Embiid's comments only upped the ante for what the Knicks should be expecting.
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