Moose on the Loose: Knicks look to bounce back in Game 4
NEW YORK (PIX11) — The Knicks vs. 76ers is getting interesting; after Philadelphia’s Game 3 victory last night, the focus is on Joel Embiid, and rightfully so.
As a basketball player, he was brilliant as he dropped in 50 points on 13 of 19 shooting and Philly won 125-114. He is an iconic big man, and his performance and impact last night was brilliant. Remember, he is doing all of this damage with one healthy knee.
That can be true, and so can this. Last night, he was old-school, nasty, and dirty. In the first half, he hit both Isiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson in the groin.
In the 1st quarter, Embiid was assessed a flagrant 1 when he pulled Mitchell Robinson to the ground. Robinson injured his left ankle, did not play in the 2nd half, and was seen leaving the building with a walking boot.
Did Embiid take it too far, for sure? But all of this, even Embiid mocking Jalen Brunson toward the end of the game, only adds to the intensity of this series, like the NBA used to be when physicality was part of the sport.
Now, there is a difference between being physical and dirty, and Embiid either towed that line or went over it last night. There has not been a tight whistle in this series, and both the Knicks and 76ers have every right to have issues with the way games have been called, but both teams have also taken advantage of that in certain instances.
Game 4 on Sunday will truly dictate the direction of this series, either the Knicks are coming back home up 3-1 or tied at 2 games apiece and those are two completely different scenarios.
The Knicks have real issues trying to deal with both Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but one thing they cannot do is get baited into playing outside of what they do. They cannot get caught up in what Embiid did in Game 3 and have it carry over to Game 4 on Sunday. That is what Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers want.
Now, there is another level to this series, not just the physical and the X and O’s, but also the mental. It is a little old-school NBA with layers; for me, it makes it refreshing.
Until next time, New York, I’m Marc Malusis.
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