Joel Embiid Cade Cunningham Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers rivalry, Digi Mart USA News: The Detroit Pistons have quickly found a new rival in the Philadelphia 76ers, as the two top teams in the Eastern Conference have already played two close games that both grew heated.
More fuel was added to that fire by Joel Embiid, who was retroactively given a flagrant one for kicking Cade Cunningham in the groin on what was supposed to be a shot attempt but turned into a pass.
Cunningham defended Embiid well on the 3-point line, perhaps too well. Embiid then created some space by intentionally kicking out his leg in an awkward, non-basketball move that, according to the publisher, should have been called a foul right away.
Embiid used the brief opening created by the kick to execute what the publisher describes as a rare “kick to the nuts give-and-go,” which led to an easy dunk.
Later, Embiid and Tolu Smith pushed and shoved each other. Embiid received a technical foul that could have been his second of the game had the officials been paying closer attention.
The publisher writes that the play was not the dirtiest it has seen, nor even among the top 100, but says it will be enough to keep tensions high when the two teams meet again.
The publisher also notes that player movement has made rivalries in the NBA more fleeting than in earlier eras, when players often stayed with one team for years. The Pistons and 76ers have not been good in the same season for a long time, so there has been little rivalry between them, but the publisher argues that is about to change.
So far this season, the Pistons and 76ers look like the class of the East and are expected by the publisher to be at or near the top by the end of the regular season. The publisher describes a natural rivalry between them as competitors for the top spot and says the Pistons do not forgive or forget, so Embiid’s actions are expected to be remembered in Detroit.
The publisher concludes that rivalries help make the NBA fun. The two teams will not meet again until February, and the publisher says Detroit will be ready.
