Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors won’t be remembered as obscenely efficient display of offensive basketball but, after a 48-minute brawl that went Philadelphia’s way, the series is knotted at 1-1. While Jimmy Butler was the statistical hero for the Sixers with 30 points and 11 rebounds, there was much attention paid to Joel Embiid, who was on the injury report with “gastroenteritis” in advance of tip-off.
Following the game, Embiid provided a great deal of entertainment when addressing his ailment on the podium and, as usual, he didn’t mince words in doing so.
Sixers' Joel Embiid on his gastroenteritis before Game 2 win over Raptors: "If you've had the sh-ts before, you'd know how it feels." pic.twitter.com/7JaBZDCqBO
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 30, 2019
As you can see, Embiid made Butler laugh with his direct reference to “the sh*ts” and there are very few players that would’ve addressed the illness in this fashion. After the hilarity subsided a bit, however, Embiid went on to say he “felt like that was a big game” for the Sixers and that the new motivation is to “go home and take care of business” in Game 3 and beyond.
It would be fair to point out that Embiid didn’t dominate the game in the way he typically does, taking just seven shots on the way to 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes. Still, he managed to provide the viral moment of the evening and everybody was all smiles after a (very) important victory.
