During last night’s Game 6 matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid inadvertently smacked Marc Gasol in the face while the two jostled for positioning after a free throw: Flagrant 1 on Joel Embiid for slapping Marc Gasol on the box out pic.twitter.com/40egU0AqUh — Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 10, 2019 If you ask me, that was very clearly an accident. However, even with the benefit of replay, the officials decided the incident was worthy of a flagrant one foul. For a refresher, even though its repeated during the broadcast just about every single time a play is under review, here’s what the NBA officially classifies as a flagrant one foul: unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent. Now, such a definition leaves a bit of discretion to the refs. There’s “unnecessary” contact on just about every single basketball play, if we’re nitpicking. So in regards to a flagrant, unnecessary seems to mean outside the realm of results that occur from typical basketball actions. And if my understanding is accurate, I’m not sure Embiid’s foul on Gasol is unnecessary whatsoever. It seems as though Embiid is simply raising his arms in preparation of fielding a rebound, and accidentally caught Gasol in the face. A standard foul? Sure. But a flagrant? The NBA today had a chance to change course and rescind Embiid’s flagrant. Surely they would, right? Nope. According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, the NBA will not be performing any such action: Joel Embiid's flagrant foul from last night's game will not be rescinded, league sources told ESPN. Embiid now has 3 flagrant foul points during the playoffs. He will earn an automatic 1-game suspension if he picks up a flagrant-1, & a 2-game suspension if he gets a flagrant 2. — Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 10, 2019 This creates a very precarious situation for Joel and the Sixers. They absolutely cannot afford to lose Joel Embiid for an entire game. With the threat of a suspension lingering, Embiid will have to keep his cool and play under control for the remainder of the Sixers’ playoff run. But even that feels like it may not be enough to keep the heat off Jo...<doc-sep>Joel Embiid's flagrant foul in game 6 against the Toronto Raptors, his 3rd in the playoffs, will not be rescinded. Embiid was called for the flagrant after hitting Marc Gasol in the face as they battled for position during a rebound. Players receive a 1-game suspension after reaching 4 flagrant-foul points. "I mean it's annoying, it's stupid. I feel like the one in Brooklyn should be rescinded and tonight, it's just basketball. I didn't mean to do it. I just happened to hit him in the face I guess and didn't mean to do it," said Embiid after the game.<doc-sep>While the Sixers gear up for Game 7 Sunday in Toronto, they may have a pressing issue to deal with if they advance. The Flagrant 1 Joel Embiid was assessed in Thursday night’s Game 6 win will not be rescinded, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. It is the third Flagrant 1 Embiid has been issued during the playoffs. If he picks up another at any point in the playoffs, he’ll serve an automatic one-game suspension. For example, if he commits one in Game 7 against the Raptors and the Sixers win, he’d be forced to miss Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Milwaukee. The NBA has a points system when it comes to flagrant fouls in the playoffs. A Flagrant 1 is worth one point and a Flagrant 2 is worth two. If a player with three points, like Embiid, picks up a Flagrant 1, they’re suspended for one game. If they pick up a Flagrant 2, it’s two games. If you reach five points, any flagrant foul thereafter is an automatic two-game suspension. The fact that we’re even having this conversation and having to explain this is ridiculous. In watching the replay Thursday night, the act didn’t look “hostile.” Watching it again Friday afternoon, it doesn’t look any more “hostile.” It looks like Marc Gasol hooks Embiid and Embiid is trying to get his arm loose. In that process, Embiid accidentally hits Gasol in the face (see video above). Credit to Gasol for making it look like he took a left hook from Joe Frazier. The two flagrants Embiid picked up against Brooklyn were much tougher to argue — especially the elbow to Jarrett Allen — but this didn’t seem close. If he winds up picking up another, the officials better be damn sure they get it right. It would a shame for the NBA to have a couple dubious calls affect a playoff game and series in that way. Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device. More on the Sixers<doc-sep>Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid picked up his third flagrant foul of the postseason Thursday night, and he unsurprisingly didn't agree with the call. "It’s annoying, stupid...it's just basketball, I didn’t mean to do it, Embiid said, per Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. The call in Game 6 came when he made contact with Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol while rebounding a free throw: He said after the game he "just happened to hit him in the face I guess," per Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice. The call is an important one because Embiid is now just one flagrant foul away from a one-game suspension, which could be huge for Philadelphia. Considering the All-Star was plus-40 on the court in the 112-101 Game 6 win, the 76ers don't want to play without him. Head coach Brett Brown said after the game he didn't feel the flagrant was warranted, per Neubeck. Additionally, Embiid is still apparently bitter about his previous calls in the last round. "I feel like the one in Brooklyn should have been rescinded," he said Thursday, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Video Play Button Videos you might like The first-round calls will stick by now, but Embiid can hope that the league will review the latest call and rescind the flagrant. Although he clearly made contact with Gasol's head, the Raptors veteran certainly oversold it for the officials. If the call stands, he could be forced to play extra conservatively in the rest of his postseason games so he doesn't earn a suspension.<doc-sep>
Adrian Wojnarowski and Ryen Russillo examine the problems the 76ers must solve this offseason if they get knocked out by the Raptors. (1:50) PHILADELPHIA -- Sixers center Joel Embiid's flagrant foul from the final minutes of the Philadelphia's Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors Thursday night will not be rescinded, league sources told ESPN. The play, which occurred late in the fourth quarter when Embiid's hand hit Raptors center Marc Gasol in the face when the two were jostling for a rebound of a free throw, earned Embiid his third flagrant foul point of these playoffs. "I mean it's annoying, it's stupid," Embiid said after Thursday's game. "I feel like the one in Brooklyn should be rescinded and tonight, it's just basketball. I didn't mean to do it. I just happened to hit him in the face I guess and didn't mean to do it. "It just happened. A lot of things like that happen. I got hit in the face in the first half by Pascal [Siakam] but kind of like the same situation that wasn't a flagrant. I saw the video of it, I mean it doesn't look that bad. ... It's tough. I guess I get one more and I'm gone for one game. So I got to look out for it, but that's definitely, this one and in the one in Brooklyn that I feel like I didn't deserve." Embiid picked up flagrant 1 fouls in both Game 2 and Game 4 of Philadelphia's first-round victory over the Brooklyn Nets -- both times for hitting Nets center Jarrett Allen. In Game 2, he elbowed Allen in the head while Embiid was executing a post move on offense. In Game 4, Embiid fouled Allen while Allen attempted a layup, which led to an on-court skirmish that resulted in the ejections of Sixers star Jimmy Butler and Nets forward Jared Dudley.