Joel Embiid and the Boston Celtics don’t exactly get along very well. Embiid got into a kerfuffle with Terry Rozier during the playoffs last year, and when the two teams met in Philadelphia on Wednesday, fireworks flew once again.
Early in the third quarter, Embiid sent Smart to the floor with an elbow while setting a screen, to which Smart took offense and jumped up and gave the All-Star center a strong two-handed shove from behind, knocking him to the ground. Embiid charged back at Smart, but by that time, teammates and refs had stepped in to keep the incident from escalating any further.
Embiid gave smart an elbow and Smart got up and shoved him to the floor… https://t.co/3vjDbde9EW
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 21, 2019
In the end, Smart was ejected for a Flagrant 2, unsurprisingly, while Embiid was assessed a technical for his part in the altercation. As he left the floor, Smart was sure to let the Philly crowd know how he felt, hi-fiving his teammates on the way out.
Marcus Smart gets ejected and has some words for the Philly fans on his way out https://t.co/dXKQgc4wdT
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 21, 2019
The incident seemed to wake up Embiid and the Sixers briefly, as he went on a mini-run by himself to get the Sixers within double-digits briefly. If these two squads do meet in the playoffs as many hope, it will be the most intense series possible in the East as bad blood runs deep between the two sides.
