Celtics Reportedly Upset Joel Embiid Didn't Shake Hands After 76ers Lost Game 5
In the latest installment of NBA #PettyWarz, some members of the Boston Celtics are reportedly annoyed Joel Embiid did not shake hands with them before leaving the floor following Wednesday's Game 5 loss.
"At least man up," a player said in the locker room, per Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports.
Embiid immediately took off his mask and exited the floor after the Celtics intercepted a last-second full-court pass to set up a potential game-tying three as time expired. He did not interact with any Celtics players, though he was congratulatory to them afterward.
"Gotta give them a lot of respect," Embiid told reporters. "They play well together. They made some tough shots throughout the series...It sucks, but you gotta learn from it and come back next year even better."
Embiid's frustration was understandable. He missed a pair of shots near the basket that would have tied the game with 11 seconds remaining and had a potential rebound carom off his body, giving the Celtics the ball. It's not hard to do the math on why Embiid would have been emotional in those moments and not been too keen on dapping up his opponents.
This isn't Little League. Handshakes and daps are typically part of the NBA postgame ritual, but it's not as if they're required.
Some have used the moment as an example of Embiid's immaturity. But people handle high-stress situations and anger differently; he was congratulatory enough in the postgame presser, so being sad you didn't get a handshake is a little on the petty side.
