Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Pair of NBA stars fume over officiating after playoff losses

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 4/23/24

The Philadelphia 76ers dropped their second straight game to the New York Knicks. Joel Embiid believes missed foul calls played a role in the Sixers' loss, along with a missed call for a timeout down the stretch. When speaking to the media in the locker room after the game, Embiid blasted the officiating as 'unacceptable.'

"Everybody on the floor was trying to call a timeout, myself included," Embiid said. "But they didn't give it to us. But forget about the timeout. There was a bunch of fouls. That's f-----g unacceptable."

Joel Embiid says the refereeing at the end of the game was "f--king unacceptable" pic.twitter.com/HWyGkGBS4A
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 23, 2024

Embiid's comments were mirrored by LeBron James, who felt the officiating in the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets was also subpar.

"I don't understand what's going on in the replay center, to be honest," LeBron said. "I said it this year or last year, D'Lo clearly gets hit in the face on a drive. What the f--k do we have a replay center [for]? It doesn't make sense to me. It bothers me...I just saw what happened with the Sixers/Knicks game, too. What are we doing?"

The NBA will undoubtedly be frustrated that two of its biggest stars publicly called out the officiating. However, that issue has blighted the league all season, with multiple questionable calls happening almost daily.

Following their loss, the Sixers' season now hangs in the balance. They must win four of their next six games to progress into the second round, while the Knicks only need two more wins. Fortunately for the Sixers, the next two games will be on their home court, which could give them the slight advantage they need.

Nevertheless, the longer this series goes on, the more concern there will be about Embiid's fitness. He recently returned to the rotation after meniscus surgery and, at times, has seemed to be off the game's pace. It will be interesting to see how those games are officiated following what appeared to be some egregiously missed calls throughout the final stretch of Monday's game.

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