After a winless start to the season, the Philadelphia 76ers finally returned to the winners’ circle following a rousing road win over the fully armed Indiana Pacers, last season’s Eastern Conference Finalists.
Joel Embiid (and Paul George) remained out against Indiana, but the NBA apparently doesn’t share the same sentiment, at least from an optics standpoint. Unsure what I’m yalking about? Well, the league assessed Embiid with a postgame technical foul for a rather cursory instance during their outing against the Pacers when he waved a towel during an Andrew Nembhard free-throw.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, shows everything that’s wrong about the NBA.
Ridiculous league sanction on Joel Embiid proves that 76ers hatred is real
The 76ers keep getting the short end of the stick lately, and those situations have revolved around the NBA bringing down the hammer on the club, much to the puzzlement of fans.
First, the league launched an official investigation into Joel Embiid’s player participation, imbuing suspicion on what was otherwise a rational and calculated move to preserve his body and ensure that he gets into the hardwood action clear from potential mishaps.
This time, Embiid, without even playing a second yet this season, was conferred with a technical foul — one that was totally undeserved. You can count on so many extemporaneous moments on every team’s bench during moments where they feel like their little deeds can make a difference for the sake of winning.
Sanctioning a rather idle player who hasn’t even sniffed the court for merely waving a towel during an opponent’s free-throw is a hard showing of softness, a recurring feature that has tested fans and pundits alike for quite some time now.
Clearly, the Philadelphia 76ers are in want of some official love from the NBA. Unfortunately, all that they’ve gotten have shown the converse, and unfortunately, the trends makes it so that a reversal would seem unlikely at this juncture.