Embiid Explodes after One of Those Silly NBA Push-Fights

These are strange times in the Tri-State area.

OK, so no one expected the Rangers and Devils to be throwing down in the Stanley Cup playoffs, because no one expected them to be in the playoffs.

But who expected the Brooklyn Nets to fill the void, much less be in the NBA playoffs?

 

Philadelphia fans had more time to make the adjustment that the playoff season would see their feisty Flyers outta the picture while big things were expected from their 76ers.

But excessive physicality?

Maybe from Joel Embiid, because Joel Embiid.

 

So if anyone was gonna give the springtime a dose of ultraviolence, it was odds-on dude would be involved.

Being real, it what's been an edgy first-round series between the Sixers and Nets, who knew it'd only be as an instigator?

Especially with a hard foul that came damn close to being a legitimate block if it wasn't already:

 

Brooklyn signed journeyman Jared Dudley to add veteran leadership in their quest to earn a playoff berth for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. Among other things, dude's got what hockey players call grit.

In other words, he's ready to finish what he starts, especially when it can lead to taking a more valuable opponent's player with him. That's exactly what happened when Jimmy Butler got booted, too.

 

Upon further review, check out the " target="_blank">Planet Earth nature series sometime. What we just witnessed resembles turtles mating more than an act of bravado.

No matter the comparison, Dudley surely rationalized on the spur of the moment that he was standing up for a teammate.

What he really did was fire up Embiid to stand up and be counted. Dude was held to only five points until that little tiff. He wound up with 31 and 16:

 

As a result of Embiid going all lord-&-master after the fur flew, the Sixers now hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with this 112-108 victory.

Here are the proceedings in full context:

 

Ironically, the twitterverse framed this one as Dudley being the doomed hero:

 

 

 

Dude's also one loss away from being a spectator for the rest of the playoffs.

He might wanna put a visit to Nassau Coliseum on his schedule, then, to learn a thing or two about true grit from the surprising Islanders.

 

Yes, indeed. Dudley and the Isles, united by sport.

Whenever dude raises his game from push to punch, that is. Gotta mean it to be taken seriously.