Joel Embiid: 76ers' G2 Loss to Knicks Was 'Worse' Than Iconic Kawhi Leonard Shot

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid is no stranger to heartbreaking losses, but he believes Monday's loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series outranks them all.

"This is worse than Game 7," Embiid told reporters, per The Athletic's David Aldridge, referring to Philadelphia's loss to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals on a buzzer-beating jumper by Kawhi Leonard.

The Sixers held a 101-96 lead with 47.3 seconds left before madness ensued. First, Jalen Brunson hit a three-pointer after Donte DiVincenzo recovered a loose ball. On the ensuing in-bounds pass, Brunson and Josh Hart double-teamed Philadelphia point guard Tyrese Maxey and forced a turnover. DiVincenzo's first three-pointer was off the mark, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to OG Anunoby, who found DiVincenzo once again for the go-ahead triple:

The Sixers were incredibly unhappy with the officiating in the waning moments of Monday's game, which ended in a 104-101 loss and put Philadelphia in a 0-2 series hole. ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported after the game that a team spokesperson said the team plans to file a grievance with the NBA over the officiating in the first two games of the series.

"Unacceptable," Embiid said of the officiating after the loss. "Tyrese got fouled a couple of times. We just had the same thing happen against Miami, with Tyler Herro. That's just unacceptable, to put us in that situation. Yeah. That's [expletive] unacceptable. And to lose a game like this, especially in the playoffs."

Aldridge noted that Embiid had also shown reporters a photo of Brunson grabbing Maxey's jersey on the crucial in-bounds play.

Despite their rightful gripes with the officiating, the Sixers will have to regroup quickly as the series heads to Philadelphia for Thursday's Game 3 if they hope to avoid falling into a deeper hole.