The Philadelphia 76ers have not been happy with how things have been going for them during the ongoing playoff series. Getting themselves pitted against the New York Knicks, the franchise already lost their first two matchups. They then sent the NBA world into a state of surprise after expressing that there was biased refereeing in Games 1 and 2 and that they would file an official complaint, highlighting the same. Whether it was the complaint threat or something else, the 76ers did not seem to have any complaints with the referees in the recently concluded Game 3.

During the first quarter of the recent 76ers-Knicks clash at the Wells Fargo Center, star player Joel Embiid received a flagrant foul after yanking Robinson’s leg. Despite this, he was not ejected. He continued to play till the end and concluded his minutes with 50 points! This refereeing action sent the NBA world into a frenzy, with many of them taking to social media to criticize the officials. One of them made a controversial assumption that “these refs got money” claiming “this league is so rigged”, leading to the official’s refusal to call out Embiid’s action.

According to the NBA’s official ‘rulebook’, a flagrant foul penalty 2 triggers an automatic ejection. However, it will be granted only if the action by the aggressor is deemed ‘unnecessary and excessive.’ According to the fan, if pulling a player’s foot from the ground while making a jump attempt is not deemed ‘unnecessary and excessive’ then what is?

Other users chose to follow in the same footsteps as the one above. One of them brought the 76ers’ earlier criticism about the referees back to the limelight. Given how they reportedly did not choose to take further action against Embiid’s flagrant foul, he feels that the 76ers should no longer be in a position to complain, deeming it “a dirty play”.

After the on-court incident, news broke that Mitchell Robinson sustained an injury probably because of the same. As a result, he was declared out for the remainder of the game. People were quick to criticize the 76ers star, with a Knicks fan predicting that it won’t take long for his team to push their rivals out.

This netizen knew how the referees came under fire for allegedly favoring the Knicks in the first two games. Despite highlighting the action, the fan believed the Knicks “aren’t dirty”. However, he couldn’t say the same about the 76ers. He wrote, “Congrats Philly, we know who you are”.

Overall, fans were not happy with how the referees chose to handle the Joel Embiid incident. While some remarks specifically targeted them, others were mainly critical of Joel Embiid and his ‘dirty play’ against Jalen Brunson and Co. Joel Embiid may have created history today by delivering his highest score in a playoff game. However, it is certainly not what fans from both sides will remember him for.

How did the 76ers controversy against the NBA referees begin?

The Knicks were able to secure a win during Game 1 after concluding it with a score of 111-104. Quite understandably, the 76ers hoped to turn things around during Game 2. They were quite close to doing so, after being ahead by 5 points during the final 47 seconds. However, two back-to-back 3-Ps by Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo diminished that lead. During the final 14 seconds, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse proceeded to call a timeout. Unfortunately, the referee did not acknowledge the action.

The coach, Embiid, and Nicolas Batum complained about the same, but the referees seemingly didn’t pay heed to the 76ers roster. This incident took place after Tyrese Maxey was fouled, but a foul was failed to be called then. Eventually, the Knicks won by 2 points.

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During the post-game press conference, head coach Nick Nurse highlighted his frustration and stated, “I guess I have to run out onto the court to roll around or do something to ensure I get his attention.”

A two-minute report released by the NBA proceeded to state that a foul should have been called over the Tyrese Maxey incident. Furthermore, it reportedly stated that if the foul or the timeout decision had been called, possession of the ball would have stayed with the 76ers. This would have removed the in-bounds and possibly would have given the win to the 76ers. In light of this, a decision was made to file an official grievance. However, the franchise either intentionally or without knowing failed to submit their complaint on time.

With their recent win, the 76ers are now 1-2 against the Knicks. With all the controversy surrounding this section of the playoffs, it’s hard to predict what will happen next.