標籤: physicality

Philadelphia 76ers great Joel Embiid isn’t getting any sympathy from New York fans and radio hosts when it comes to complaints about the New York Knicks’ physicality in their ongoing playoff series.

On Monday night, the highly anticipated semifinal series between the Knicks and Sixers began at Madison Square Garden. Both teams entered the series performing brilliantly. However, basketball fans only needed three quarters to see that New York was the real team on fire en route to a 137-98 victory.

After the game, to no one’s surprise, Philly big man Joel Embiid complained about the Knicks’ physicality. Specifically, the moment when his stomach hurt during a screen. The blow left him in pain as the area had been damaged since his appendix was removed a few weeks ago.

Embiid said, “I thought it was unnecessary, but we move on. Whatever it is, it’s playoff basketball. If that’s the reality of it, I think we have to go out and be physically active as well.”

It’s hard to know if Mikal Bridges had any malicious intent on the play. But this claim comes just days after Jaylen Brown took aim at Embiid for being a dedicated flopper in their series against the Boston Celtics. This is a few years removed from the series where the center injured Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson with a dirty move. Most people outside of Philadelphia wouldn’t feel bad for the seven-time All-Star.

You can add popular midday WFAN host and New York Giants great Tiki Barber to that group. On the Tuesday morning edition of the show he co-hosted with Evan Roberts, the one-time NFL star questioned Embiid’s toughness.

“If there’s going to be an injury, there’s going to be a physical injury, and someone may accidentally or otherwise attack you, then don’t play,” Barber began by saying. “Remember when I broke my hand in 2000? I had to tape up my other hand because they were literally stepping on it, not knowing my hand was broken. I didn’t complain about it. That’s part of the risk of injury. So, stop being quiet.”

It will be interesting if it is used as bulletin board material in the 76ers locker room before Wednesday’s game or if it gets some “unique” chants from Knicks fans inside MSG for Game 2.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks narrowly avoided embarrassment during a 93-92 win over the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Despite playing against a rotation consisting primarily of rookies, two-way players and two-day signees, Mike Brown’s team struggled against Brooklyn’s aggressive defense for most of the game.

Towns and Jalen Brunson recovered from a slow start to hold off a Brooklyn comeback in the final minutes. After the matchup, the Nets extended forward Josh Minot said brooklyn tried to make Towns are becoming uncomfortable with their increasing physicality.

“I played with Kat for two and a half years [in Minnesota]. this is how i know her [the back of my hand]And she doesn’t like physicality,” Minot said. “I like Kat, but she doesn’t like physicality. He is also my boy. I hope this makes him angry. But we were really involved in bringing that physicality to it. He started flamboyantly in the second half. He is a really talented player. But we were going to do everything in our power to stop him.”

When Josh Minott was asked about defending him tonight he said that Karl-Anthony Towns “doesn’t like physicality”:

“I played with Kat for 2.5 years. I know him that way, and he doesn’t like physicality. I like Kat, but he doesn’t like physicality. He’s my guy too. I hope this angers him.” pic.twitter.com/tNKGojrHpY

– Eric Slater (@erikslater_) 21 March 2026

After a scoreless first quarter, in which the Knicks scored only 14 points, Towns found his rhythm late and led New York to a narrow victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns bounces back from rough start during Knicks’ close win over Nets

He finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds on 7-16 shooting from the field and 11-13 shooting from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Minot led Brooklyn with a team-high 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field and 6 of 9 from three.

Towns has struggled to replicate his production from last season during the Knicks’ irregular 2025-26 campaign. He is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds on .491/.365/.851 shooting splits in 66 appearances.

The All-Star big man is adept at drawing fouls on drives, attempting a career-high 9.0 free throws per 100 possessions. However, he has struggled to transition around the rim. According to CleaningTheGlass, Towns shot a career-low 60 percent from within four feet, which is the NBA’s worst percentage among Big 20 players who have played more than 1,700 minutes this season.

As the regular season winds down, the Knicks are attempting to catch the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference second seed. The five-game winning streak has pulled New York to within two games of Boston with 12 games remaining.