Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers may feel wronged by the officials. Game 3 of their series against the Boston Celtics saw Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combine for 50, guiding the Shamrocks to a 2-1 series lead. But should Brown have stayed in the game after he literally went below the belt? The officials had a hard look and still decided it wasn’t enough.

Here’s what happened. George was on a heater in the second quarter, scoring 8 points in as many minutes as playing hardcore defense. On one of his defensive possessions against Brown, the veteran forward appeared to be hit with an elbow, even staying down for an extended time. But PG13 wasn’t exaggerating one bit.

Jaylen Brown’s elbow made direct contact with George’s groin area. The officials did get it right with an offensive foul. However, even after inspecting the call closely, decided it wasn’t enough for a flagrant. The play itself was dangerous for reasons that need no explanation. Yet, the officials didn’t even assess a flagrant one.

That didn’t happen when Draymond Green kicked Steven Adams during the 2016 Western Conference Finals. Initially, the Warriors forward was called for a flagrant 1, which was later upgraded to a flagrant 2 after the game. But in Brown’s case, it was simply a personal foul. What may have gone into his favor?

By looking at the play, it appeared as if Jaylen Brown primarily used his shoulders to create space. He didn’t have any intent to strike George in the groin. The officials may have made their judgment based on that. However, Philly fans were rightfully perplexed with JB still remaining in the game or escaping with only a personal foul.

Brown’s efficient 25-point performance added salt to the wound as the 76ers lost their crucial home-court advantage against the Celtics. But in hindsight, it would have been harsh on the Celtics star had the officials kicked him out of a vital postseason game for an inadvertent hit.

What are your thoughts?

The Philadelphia 76ers will pray for Joel Embiid’s return

Tonight’s game showed how the 76ers desperately need Joel Embiid’s scoring volume on their side. George was great, scoring 18 on high efficiency. But their backcourt partnership of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe couldn’t replicate their performance from Game 2. As is the case with the postseason, teams adapt. And the 76ers’ offense runs through their explosive backcourt tandem.

The Celtics have caught on to that, holding both Edgecombe and Maxey to shooting under 40% tonight. That’s where Embiid, a flourishing scoring savant, could change the dynamics of this series.

Similar to past seasons, horrid fate is keeping him out. The Process underwent an appendectomy on April 9. He has returned for practice, but is still limited in the things he can do. Speaking about Embiid’s possible return, Nick Nurse didn’t offer much, except hope.

“I think he’s got to do it and do more and react, and get some reactions to it, and this and that, and they’re gonna know a lot more, probably by the end of today where he is. I think, you know, it’s, again, it’s kind of like the work increases a little bit, and then we got to see how he comes out of that stuff,” said the 76ers head coach.

Currently, Philly isn’t getting much production from its centers, Adam Bona and Andre Drummond. Joel Embiid has the ability to create several mismatches or just get buckets. With the attention he demands, it opens up the floor for the 76ers. That’s where Maxey and George can really punish the Celtics.

But without The Process on the floor, it’s getting increasingly harder to tackle the Celtics. Embiid is the person who can blow up the Celtics’ game plans to defend the 76ers. Considering the update, his participation still appears to be bleak.