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Joel Embiid let the world know exactly how he felt about missing the Sixers’ Game 2 loss

By Nick Tylwalk

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 14: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers rings the bell to start the game against the Miami Heat in game one of round one of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 14, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 14: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers rings the bell to start the game against the Miami Heat in game one of round one of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 14, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Never one to hold back on social media, Joel Embiid let everyone know exactly how he felt about not being on the floor to help his Sixers against the Heat.

It’s got to be touch being Joel Embiid right now. He knows he would make a huge difference for the Philadelphia 76ers in their first playoff series since he arrived in the NBA. Yet he’s not out on the floor, still being held out of the lineup for an orbital fracture he suffered against the Knicks late in the regular season.

It was pretty obvious Embiid was missed on Monday night, as the Sixers fell at home to the Heat, knotting their first-round series at 1-1. The talking point for the night wasn’t The Process being absent again after reports he might be cleared to play, but rather Dwyane Wade turning back the clock and dropping 28 on Philly off the bench.

After the game, though, Embiid wasn’t shy about whether he felt he should have been allowed to play. He took to Instagram to punctuate his feelings with an obscenity, though Bleacher Report helpfully cleaned it up in this tweet:

The post is gone now, but as they say, screenshots are forever. It’s kind of like a subtweet, but can it really be called that when …

  • a) Everyone knows what you’re talking about.
  • b) It’s not on Twitter?

Embiid was already on the record as saying he thought he should be allowed to play prior to Game 2, telling ESPN, “If it was my decision, I would play, but I can’t get back out on the court if I don’t have the OK from them” and adding that he felt great. His coach, Brett Brown, was much more cautious in his assessment, remaining non-committal about when the big man might be back in the Sixers lineup.

Next: 5 surprises from the first weekend of the NBA playoffs

Knowing how social media savvy Embiid is, it’s possible he timed his post to take some pressure off his young teammates following the loss, giving everyone something else to talk about. Then again, if he’s held out for Game 3 as well, everyone might want to keep an eye on his accounts, because whatever he has to say then is sure to be mighty interesting.