Joel Embiid claps back at Marcus Smart’s flopping comments (Video)

Joel Embiid and Marcus Smart have a history, of working the refs and working their personal grudges. This is just another chapter in a very familiar story.

For NBA trash talkers like Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid, it seems like there’s always a beef to comment on, flames to be fanned. In Wednesday’s 117-109 victory of the Boston Celtics, Joel Embiid lived at the free-throw line, racking up 21 attempts. After the game, Smart had plenty to say about the disparity (per NBASports Boston):

“It’s tough. It is tough. Especially when we’ve got our hands up a lot of the times and he flails and gets the call. And then down on the other end we’ve got our guys attacking the rim, getting a lot more contact and we’re just not getting the whistle. It’s tough to play like that. It’s tough. If the roles were reversed I’d do it every time. I mean, I’d be on too if every time I threw my arms up or every time I got touched I’m going to the free-throw line.”

What did Joel Embiid have to say about Marcus Smart’s flailing comments?

As expected, Embiid wasn’t exactly receptive to the criticism.

https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/1352312762064633856

Embiid certainly exaggerates contact at time, as do all NBA players. But he’s understandably skeptical. Smart has been fined by the league for flopping twice since 2016, for a total of $10,000. Embiid has had his share of league fines over the years but he’s never been formally reprimanded for flopping.

Regardless of the official record, this seems very much like a “takes one to know one” situation. But here’s hoping it keeps the intensity up for another possible, heated playoff matchup — the 76ers and Celtics currently hold the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, in the Eastern Conference.