Cavaliers Coach Unhappy About Joel Embiid Staying in For Sixers
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J.B. Bickerstaff couldn’t stop shaking his head for the final minutes of Wednesday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. As the Cavs believed that Sixers star Joel Embiid had fouled out with a few minutes left to go, Cleveland was in a good spot to shift the momentum of the game and potentially claw out a win.
After further review, the officiating crew decided that a charge called on Embiid was, in fact, not a foul. Happy to stay in the game, Embiid helped the Sixers pull out a 118-109 victory over Cleveland.
In one area of the arena, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers claimed that he was confident that Cavaliers standout Evan Mobley flopped on the play. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to wave for a challenge.
In another area, J.B. Bickerstaff sounded off on the play.
“He drew a hell of a charge to get Embiid his sixth foul,” Bickerstaff told reporters. “He did a hell of a job. It's clear as day that's a charge. You know, there's there's no doubt about it.”
After the game, Crew Chief John Goble explained the decision to reverse the call.
"The contact by Embid was determined to be marginal as he did not go through the space of Mobley,” Goble said.
Yet, the explanation clearly wasn’t something that Bickerstaff was willing to accept.
“The call was made on the floor,” the head coach continued. “He stands in between him and the basket. They lower the shoulder. I thought Evan competed, you know what I mean? Like, he laid it all out on the line, and guys ought to be rewarded for that. Like, if you're willing to stick your nose in there, sacrifice your body, you got to be rewarded for the correct play.”
The Cavaliers didn’t get what they wanted. Embiid stayed in the game for the final few minutes and helped the Sixers close out the game.
As expected, members of both teams had different opinions on the outcome of the controversial call and review. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that the Sixers made it out of Cleveland with their sixth-straight win.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
