Was a New York Knicks Center Shading Sixers’ Joel Embiid?
New York Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein riled up Philadelphia 76ers fans ahead of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein recently previewed his upcoming matchup against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
With the Sixers taking care of business on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat, Philly punched their ticket to the playoffs by locking up the seventh seed. With that, the Sixers picked up a seven-game series against the Knicks.
In three of four matchups between the Sixers and the Knicks this year, New York dominated. Aside from a low-scoring battle, which resulted in a Sixers win at Madison Square Garden in March, the Knicks have collected three double-digit wins over Philly this year.
While their regular season success over the Sixers certainly helps their odds of advancing to the second round, the Knicks know they are facing a much stronger Sixers team this time around, as Embiid is back in the lineup to face them for just the second time this season on Saturday for Game 1.
When discussing the upcoming matchup against Embiid, the Sixers center’s rival opponent caused a stir on social media this week as he analyzed Embiid’s strategy.
“The main thing is he's going to seek fouls,” Hartenstein said of Embiid. “So that's the main thing. Through fouls, he'll get his little breaks, easy free throws, so that's the main focus is not letting him to the line and going from there.”
Despite playing in fewer than 40 games this season, Embiid’s 452 total free throws ranked 14th in the NBA. To compare, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was 10th in the league with 497 free throws while playing 38 more games than Embiid.
While Embiid had established himself as an elite three-level scorer in the NBA, his ability to get to the free-throw line so frequently to knock down his foul shots has generated a ton of criticism about his scoring. Naturally, Sixers fans came to the big man’s defense on social media Thursday, as Hartenstein’s initial analysis came off as a quote that might offer Embiid some bulletin board material.
However, the Knicks center wasn’t shading the reigning MVP. In fact, he credited Embiid for knowing how to maximize his scoring opportunities.
Jan 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls
Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
“[We have to] make sure of things, keeping your hands back, and knowing at the end of the day, he’s the MVP. He’s going to get some calls that maybe don’t go in your favor,” Hartenstein continued. “At the end of the day, it’s just doing your job, playing team defense, and don’t really put your hands in because he’s going to try and get [fouled]. Smart from him. I mean, why not use it? I’m not saying it’s bad. If he’s smart enough to do it and we keep doing it, then that’s kind of on us.”
In the only game Embiid faced the Knicks this season, he had the opportunity to take 12 free throws. After knocking down nine of his freebies, and making ten shots from the field, the big man scored 30 points in 36 minutes. His contributions were hardly a factor, as the Knicks issued the Sixers a 128-92 loss at the time.
Despite the shortcomings against the Knicks this year, the Sixers have an opportunity to get revenge, starting this weekend. On Saturday, the Atlantic Division rivals will begin their seven-game series on Saturday.
