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'Based on the point of contact directly to the groin, it rose to the level of excessive and ejection,' Brothers said.īefore his ejection, Harden was playing his best basketball of the series. Monty McCutchen, the NBA's senior vice president of referee development and training, said in an in-game interview on TNT that the officials determined it was 'excessive and unnecessary' contact to the groin.Īfter the game, crew chief Tony Brothers reiterated that stance in a pool report. There was no windup, elbow, I didn't hit him in the private area, none of that.' 'Somebody is draped on me, your natural reaction is to use your off arm to get him off a little bit, and that was it. 'I didn't think it was a foul on me,' Harden said. It can't happen.'Īsked whether he received an explanation from the officials, Harden said he did not, and then went on to explain why he didn't believe it was even an offensive foul - let alone one that rose to the level of a flagrant 2, and with it an ejection.

Honestly, I didn't think it was a foul on me. We've seen around the league, things are much worse than what that play was. I didn't hit him hard enough for him to fall down like that. Somebody is draped on you like that defensively, that's a natural basketball reaction. I'm not labeled as a dirty player and I didn't hit him in a private area. 'Unacceptable,' Harden said in the locker room afterward.

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NEW YORK - Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden repeatedly said it was 'unacceptable' that he was called for a flagrant foul 2 on Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O'Neale and ejected late in the third quarter of Philadelphia's 102-97 victory in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night, one of several hotly contested moments involving the referees throughout the game. James Harden ejected, Joel Embiid gets flagrant 1 in Sixers' win

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Embiid came up with a monster block in the game's final seconds to help preserve Philadelphia's lead.Maxey had 25 points and Embiid finished with 14.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser The 76ers got a big boost down the stretch from Tyrese Maxey, who stepped up big in Harden's absence. but it's not my job to referee,' Claxton said, per Newsday's Evan Barnes. 'Maybe I should’ve sold it more instead of just clapping on the ground,' he added. I just (have to) be smarter.'Ĭlaxton also said he was surprised Embiid wasn't ejected: 'He’s the MVP. 'That's a part of my growth, just keeping my cool in moments like that when I'm playing well & my emotions are really high. My team, they need me out there,' Claxton said afterwards. He did return to the game about midway through the second quarter.Ĭlaxton was eventually ejected himself in the fourth quarter after he picked up his second technical foul of the game for taunting after making a basket.

It was confirmed on the TNT broadcast that Embiid was receiving treatment on his back. Embiid headed back to the locker room near the end of the first quarter. Claxton was called for a foul for pushing Embiid in the back under the basket, resulting in Embiid grabbing his lower back on the floor. James Harden: “I didn’t even think it was a foul on me…that just, that can’t happen” /n08zXeSfvW- Kyle Neubeck April 21, 2023Īfter their first quarter run-in, Claxton and Embiid continued to go at it. One's accidental (Harden), one's intentional (Embiid).'įollowing the Sixers' win to go up 3-0 in the series, Harden called his ejection 'unbelievable' and 'unacceptable.' He added: 'I didn’t even think it was a foul on me.'Ĭrew chief Tony Brothers explained that Embiid’s kick was 'unnecessary,' but it wasn’t deemed excessive or a flagrant foul two because of the 'point of contact to the leg.” Harden, however, was assessed a flagrant foul two and ejected because of 'the point of contact directly to the groin' of O’Neale with his hand, Brothers said. He later added: 'I just don't understand the officiating on both of those calls.

'Kids at home, do not hit guys in their junk, kick them in the junk,' Barkley quipped. 'The key to this play is you can't hit him in the groin, you got to kick him in the groin, because if you kick him you can get away with it,' Barkley said on TNT while viewing footage of the play that earned Harden's ejection. Joel Embiid's reaction to James Harden getting ejected after being hit with a flagrant 2 foul: /4ame8klD6D- ClutchPoints April 21, 2023Ĭharles Barkley was among those confused why Harden was tossed but Embiid got to remain in the game.

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