Nets HC Jacque Vaughn accuses refs of CHEATING, claims Joel Embiid was favored by officials in series-opener

Jacque Vaughn criticizes officiating of Joel Embiid in Game 1 loss to Sixers

Nets HC Jacque Vaughn accuses refs of CHEATING, claims Joel Embiid was favored by officials in series-opener

Jacque Vaughn (L) and Joel Embiid (R)

The Brooklyn Nets were no match for the Philadelphia 76ers in their playoff opener on Saturday, losing 121-101. The Nets had no answer for Joel Embiid, who had a monster performance with 26 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block in just 33 minutes of action.

Embiid was unstoppable in the paint, drawing contact and getting to the line 11 times, making all of them. The Nets, meanwhile, only shot 15 free throws as a team, making 12 of them. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn was not pleased with how the game was officiated, especially when it came to Embiid.

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“Hopefully they’ll be calling travel and three seconds on the big fella (Joel Embiid) next game. So I’ll be looking forward to that,” Vaughn said after the game, per Kristian Winfield of New York Daily News.

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Vaughn’s comments could be seen as a way of trying to influence the referees for Game 2, hoping that they would be more vigilant with Embiid and make him work harder for his points. However, it could also backfire and fire up Embiid to prove Vaughn wrong and play even better.

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Embiid shrugs off Vaughn’s comments

Joel Embiid Ben Simmons USATSI 1
Sixers vs Nets Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons (Via Twitter)

Embiid, who is a finalist for the MVP award this season, did not seem bothered by Vaughn’s comments. He said he was just focused on playing his game and helping his team win.

“I don’t care about what anybody says. I just play basketball. I don’t worry about what coaches say or what fans say or what anybody says. I just go out there and dominate,” Embiid said, per Mike Lynch of SportInfo247.

Embiid also had to deal with some physical play from the Nets, who tried to slow him down with double teams and hard fouls. One of them was by Dorian Finney-Smith, who hit Embiid in the face and sent him crashing to the floor after a dunk attempt. The play was not reviewed for a flagrant foul, which angered some Sixers fans.

Embiid said he was used to that kind of treatment and that he was not going to let it affect him. “I’m built for this. I’m physical. I’m a physical player. I can take anything,” Embiid said, per Dave Early of Liberty Ballers.

The Sixers will look to take a 2-0 lead over the Nets in Game 2 on Monday, while the Nets will try to bounce back and steal a win on the road. It will be interesting to see how the referees will handle Embiid and whether Vaughn’s comments will have any impact on their calls.

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