After an uninspiring first half in Game 2 on Monday evening, the Philadelphia 76ers turned on the jets a picked up a 96-84 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. That win gave Philadelphia a commanding 2-0 lead in the series and, unsurprisingly, Joel Embiid was in the middle of the attack for the 76ers. Embiid, the betting favorite to win the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, finished with 20 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in the game and, as you may expect, he was in a good mood at the postgame press conference.
In fact, Embiid was jovial enough to make a timely joke about the fact that he was credited with only three blocks, saying “I need the Memphis scorekeeper” in the process.
Joel Embiid: “I had 3 blocks. Only 3 blocks? I probably need the Memphis scorekeeper… I thought I had more.”
pic.twitter.com/FpF11fO4W5
— Oh no he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 18, 2023
In addition to making it clear that he felt he blocked more than three shots in the game, Embiid referenced a viral theory from earlier in the season in which a Reddit poster believed Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. had inflated statistics at home. That was particularly interesting given that Jackson Jr. won the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award just before the 76ers and Nets tipped off on Monday.
Embiid almost certainly didn’t make the Memphis reference by accident, even if he kind of tried to walk things back by invoking Denver later in the answer. It’s amusing regardless of context and, of course, Embiid is regularly hilarious. Whether Embiid should’ve been credited with more than three blocks or not, he has a knack for this kind of thing, and perhaps he’ll leave no doubt with more than three blocks when the series shifts to Brooklyn on Thursday.