Ex-Knicks Star Hints Referees’ Bias After Joel Embiid’s Alleged Malfeasance in Mitchell Robinson Injury Goes Unpunished

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid almost raised Philly fans’ heartbeats when he grabbed Mitchell Robinson’s legs from the ground while the latter was going for a layup. Embiid received a flagrant 1 after an official replay review of the foul for the Knicks center. However, ex-Knicks star Immanuel Quickley revealed the referee had probably compromised the severity of Embiid’s foul in the first quarter on Philly’s home court.

In his post-Game 3 appearance on the NBA show Run It Back, Quickley commented on Embiid’s questionable move, “I ain’t trying to get fined… But if that was anybody else, I don’t know if he’d get the same call.” The Raptors guard quickly made a statement jokingly by stating he could be punished for detrimental of the league on a public platform. However, in his own way, Immanuel targeted the dirty play on Mitchell Robinson, which could have gotten Embiid ejected.

The result would have been different if that was the case. The prominence of the foul can be stated because Embiid scored a playoff-high 50 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Knicks in Game 3.

It’s noticeable that the foul cost the Knicks a lot. But for Embiid, the foul was just an attempt to ensure that Robinson did not land on him. The Knicks center’s presence above ‘The Process’ gave him the “flashbacks” about Jonathan Kuminga of Golden State Warriors landing on his leg in January end. The Sixers star was even apologetic about his move as he said about the foul that he “didn’t mean to hurt anybody.“

Despite the absence of any ill intention from Embiid, Robinson did get injured in Game 3 and couldn’t play further.

Did Joel Embiid’s Flagrant Move Cause Robinson’s Injury?

After referees called Embiid’s ‘defensive’ move a foul in the first quarter, Robinson only watched the Knicks lose from the sidelines for the second half. Knicks center only spent 12 minutes on the court as the left ankle sprain took over his ability to play further. However, it is unclear whether Robinson injured his ankle during the foul. But the landing from Robinson was awful, and it resolved into a brief scuffle between the two teams.

When the referee ruled Robinson out of the court in the second quarter after his third foul, he was uncomfortable with his right ankle. But the on-court play was not the only factor, as the Knicks center’s status for Game 3 was questionable due to ankle injury maintenance. Robinson’s injured ankle is the same one that required surgery before this season. So, it is probably unfair to blame Embiid for Robinson’s absence from the court.

However, the Knicks squad went down heavily on the Sixers star. Josh Hart called Joel’s move “reckless,” while DiVincenzo said the grab on his teammate was “dirty.” Fortunately, Robinson did not develop any serious injury, considering his demeanor after the match. However, the status of his presence in Game 4 is still up in the air.

Above all the ruckus around referee bias and foul severity, the question that matters is whether Robinson can play for the Knicks in Game 4 or not. But that’s a query that still needs official confirmation.