Knicks enforcer Charles Oakley calls out Sixers star Joel Embiid

Apr 25, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts with forward Tobias Harris (12) after scoring gagainst the New York Knicks during the second half of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers were able to come up with a pivotal 125-114 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 thanks to Joel Embiid scoring a playoff career-high 50 points. The big fella is dealing with Bell’s Palsy and dealing with a knee injury and still dropped 50 in a win.

However, a big factor in Game 3 was Embiid being called for a flagrant-1 foul on Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson in the first quarter. He grabbed Robinson’s leg while he was trying to jump and one could argue it should have been a flagrant-2 foul and an ejection for Embiid.

Back in the 90’s, the Knicks had a big man named Charles Oakley who was the team’s enforcer in a way. He would be the guy who would protect New York’s stars and do things to bother his opponents.

He spoke with NewsDay and discussed how he would handle the Embiid situation:

“I probably would have smacked him,” Oakley said.

“If I’m the Knicks, this is what I do. I’m putting him in every pick-and-roll,” Oakley said. “Make him work . . . Then you might want to set a hard pick on him. Let’s see how it feels when someone puts you out there.”

Oakley comes from an era where physical play was allowed and it was a rough and tough era. Smacking somebody in today’s game would likely result in a rather long suspension.

Either way, it’s obvious the Knicks are not happy with the Embiid play from Game 3. It will be interesting to see what happens in Game 4 on Sunday as the Sixers look to even the series.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Knicks enforcer Charles Oakley calls out Sixers star Joel Embiid