Devastated Joel Embiid Hangs His Head in Shame, Bothering Charles Barkley on Live TV

The Philadelphia 76ers came into tonight’s game hoping to level the series before heading home. But the New York Knicks shattered Joel Embiid and Co.’s hopes by making a miraculous comeback in the final seconds of the game. After the devastating 104-101 loss in Game 2, the reigning MVP’s body language did not portray that of a great leader. Instead, he held his head down in shame, aggravating Sixers legend Charles Barkley on Live TV.

Embiid refused to show his face to the media during the post-game interview. He kept his head down while covering his face with his hand throughout the session. Could it be because he was trying to hold back his emotions after the loss? Whatever the reason, it was not a good look for the 76ers superstar. And Embiid’s disappointing body language bothered Charles Barkley as he expressed his disbelief with the reigning MVP live on Inside The NBA. “As the leader of the team, he cannot have his head down.” Barkley remarked.

According to Barkley, Embiid should have held his head up and motivated his teammates to make a comeback in the series. While Embiid’s demeanor told a different story, what he said during the interview instilled some confidence in the Philly fans. A disappointed Embiid reflected on Philly’s performance in Game 2 and claimed, “We good. We are gonna win this series.” The Center believed the Sixers fixed some things and did a better job in tonight’s game than Game 1. And they will continue to improve as the series heads to Philly. “We are the better team, and we are gonna keep fighting.” Embiid added.

The Sixers blaming the officiating for going down 0-2 against the Knicks?

It is hard to pinpoint exactly where the Sixers went wrong in Game 2 which eventually cost them the game. Did it all boil down to the crazy final sequence, or was it a culmination of the things that happened throughout the game? Well, the Sixers believe officiating had some part to play in their heart breaking loss to the Knicks. A team spokesperson told ESPN that the 76ers plan to file a grievance with the league over the officiating across the first two games of the series. And there are a few instances that might have led to that decision.

But the biggest one was that Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tried to call a timeout right before the Knicks stole the ball from Tyrese Maxey to hit the game-winning shot. However, it is not clear if Maxey had complete possession when Nurse signalled for a timeout or was it while the ball was being stolen from him. But the Sixers are not satisfied with the outcome. They have come a long way after Joel Embiid’s return from injury and would not want the officials’ mistakes to end their season early. While the grievance might not change the outcome of the first two games, it will keep the officials on their toes for the remainder of the series. Do you think bad officiating cost Joel Embiid and Co. to lose tonight?