PHILADELPHIA — In the closing seconds of Game 2, Joel Embiid had a message for Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse.
"I told him, respectfully, I told him to stop b------- about calls," Embiid said, "because I saw what he said last game."
Embiid was referring to Nurse saying after Game 1 of the teams' first-round series that the MVP finalist should have been called for more fouls. The Raptors coach doubled down on that before the Sixers' 112-97 Game 2 victory on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. He said he hoped the refs would have "enough guts" to stop the game and review physical plays on Monday night.
Nurse wanted the refs to call the the series both ways after his squad attempted 23 free throws compared to 34 by the Sixers in Game 1. Embiid went to the foul line 11 times, making nine.
On Monday, Embiid made 12 of 14 foul shots en route to finishing with game highs of 31 points and 11 rebounds. The Sixers attempted 30 free throws compared to 12 by Toronto.
"I mean, if you are going to triple-team somebody all game, they're bound to get to the free-throw line," Embiid said. "If you are going to push them off and [are] trying to hold them off and all that stuff, they're bound to get to the free throw line.
"I feel like every foul was legit and [there] probably should have been more, honestly."
Nurse also shared some of his exchange with Embiid. At that point, the Sixers had the game locked up and were running out the clock.
"He was saying to me that 'I'm going to keep making all the free throws if you keep fouling me,' and I said, 'Well, you might have to,' Nurse said. "A good player, man. I have a lot of respect for him.
"He's certainly playing great here, and there's nothing there. But I was trying to compete against him and him trying to compete against us."
This wasn't the first time an opposing coach had something to say about Embiid's frequent trips to the foul line.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff called out the officiating in 112-108 loss on April 3 to the Sixers. In that game, Embiid and James Harden combined to attempt more free throws (32) than the entire Cavaliers team (31). Bickerstaff was fined $15,000 by the league for public criticism of an official.
Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, before facing the Sixers on March 25, said the duo get calls because of who they are. Lue then entered a war of words with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
"I got a lot of respect for all these coaches," Embiid said. "But you know, I feel like they got self-awareness. When they're saying this type of stuff, it's for ... the referees [to] not call it anymore or also to motivate their guys to go out there and play better and hope to really put that in the referees' hands to not call it.
"But when the fouls are as obvious as they were today, I mean they put me on the floor a few times. This is where it gets interesting to me, because I'm like, 'Cool. I'm going to come back with more power.'"
Matching the Raptors' physicality led Embiid to pick up a couple offensive fouls.
But Embiid added, "If you watch the clips, every single foul is a foul."
Nurse, however, still wasn't totally satisfied with the way Game 2 was called.
He was pleased that his team drew a couple of charges on Monday after similar drives to the basket by Embiid resulted in no-calls on Saturday. However, he thinks the refs missed a charge on one of Tobias Harris' drives to the basket.
"I don't see how that's not a charge," Nurse said. "They see it live and that looks like a charge. Look on the film and it looks like a charge. So I felt that was a missed one. There was another open-handed slap to the face that, again, I don't understand why they will not call them.
"But other than that, at least there wasn't as many elbows thrown to the face tonight that we had to endure."
