During the game between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers on the opening night of the new season, spectators and fans around the world got a taste of two players locking horns with each other. In this case, we got a glimpse of Joel Embiid locking arms with his long-time rival, Marcus Smart. NBA fans had their own responses to what transpired on the court.
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Jayson Taytum missed a shot at the beginning of the third quarter. Embiid went for a rebound, that Marcus Smart tried to steal. Embiid entangled Smart’s left arm who then got pushed to the floor. As Embiid walked off, Smart grabbed his leg prompting him to fall onto the ground.
The argument got more heated with Jaylen Brown saw this incident as a clear indicator of Embiid trying to hurt Smart. The conflict was immediately attended to by other teammates and officials.
Smart was given a technical foul?in the end, while Embiid was not fouled.
However, even if the referee did not call it, the audience did. Celtics fans chanted “F*** Embiid” throughout the whole arena. Fans also took to social media to respond to the incident. In the end, the Celtics edged out the 76ers with a 126-117 win.
Boston crowd gives their thoughts on 76ers’ Joel Embiid
After the incident, the fans in the stadium made their thoughts known with chants of “F*** Embiid” ringing out. Fans also had their say online.
Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:
both dirty https://t.co/i1lck5CeLg
— abagofPC (@AbagofPC) October 19, 2022
Embiid owns those Klan members
— TheAssassinGoat (@TheAssassinGoat) October 19, 2022
I mean that was a pretty ugly flop by embiid lol
— Camaro ss (@untouchable_06) October 19, 2022
Bro tried to rip his arm off😭
— Pascal/JakobFan (@pemp918) October 19, 2022
Embiid will never win a championship. Ever.
— Etienne Vachon (@Fantacstic) October 19, 2022
Notably, this is not the first time Embiid and Smart have gone at each other on the hardwood. They have been at each other’s throats for quite some time now. They have even tried to troll and humiliate each other on social media.
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In 2018, Embiid kicked Smart’s groin with his foot. In 2019, Smart violently pushed Embiid to the ground.
“I could have cracked his head open, but I didn’t”, said Smart. This reaffirmed their sour history together, which does not seem to have an ending any time soon.
Watch This Story: Joel Embiid, Vernon Maxwell & Other NBA Players That Got Into Brawls with Fans
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This was not the first time the crowd has raised their voices to “F**k Embiid”.?Toronto Raptors were ruthless in repeatedly chanting the slogan last season. Embiid, on the other hand, held his hands behind his ears to imply that it wouldn’t affect his game.
The match between the 76ers and the Celtics saw a somewhat repeat of the incident, but the emotions stemming from the crowd were arguably just as intense.