NBA Playoffs 2019: Joel Embiid says 'It feels good to be up 3-1 but we definitely don't want to be in a situation like the Warriors two years ago'

Kyle Irving

NBA Playoffs 2019: Joel Embiid says 'It feels good to be up 3-1 but we definitely don't want to be in a situation like the Warriors two years ago' image

After missing Game 3, Joel Embiid made sure to make his presence felt in the Philadelphia 76ers' Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Embiid was a last-minute decision to play in Game 4 but you wouldn't have been able to tell from his final box score. The dominant All-Star centre stuffed the stat sheet with 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, six blocks and two steals, proving to be too much for anyone on the Nets to handle.

MORE: Takeaways from 76ers' Game 4 win over Nets

Embiid had an eventful game aside from his busy stat line, as a hard foul on Jarrett Allen led to the massive scrap that got Jared Dudley and Jimmy Butler ejected from the contest.

In Embiid's post-game interview with TNT's Ros Gold-Onwude, he didn't hesitate to let everyone know how he felt about the altercation.

"First of all, he's a nobody. And when opponents try to do stuff like that it's just to get us out of the game." He didn't stop there either, "I'm too valuable for my team and that's why I didn't react."

He disagreed with the call in the first place, but kept his composure anyway, "I also didn't think that was a flagrant foul because I played the ball but in that type of situation I was just trying to stay composed and be mature."

That maturity went out the window, in a playful manner, in his postgame press conference after his team took a 3-1 lead over the Nets, just one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

"It feels great to be up 3-1 but we definitely don't want to be in a situation like the Warriors two years ago," Embiid told the media.


His response generated laughter amongst the group while also forcing his teammate Jimmy Butler to leave the press conference immediately in a joking disbelief that Embiid would take a crack at the defending NBA Champions.

Embiid, Butler and the 76ers will be back in action on their home court in Philadelphia on Wednesday for Game 5 as they try to end the series with Brooklyn.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.