Raptors, Joel Embiid discuss foul discrepancy in playoff series

Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby & Pascal Siakam discuss trying to keep the 76ers off the free-throw line while Joel Embiid reveals what he talked to Nick Nurse about late in the game.

Video Transcript

- Sixers with numbers. Oh, he leaves it, left it for Embiid. Yes, it's a bucket hand-to-hand. Whoo!

[CHEERING]

Inside, Embiid with possession, snatches down his own rebound. Stakes it back. And-- and one!

- What's the challenge post, you know, trying to guard and be with [INAUDIBLE] because he's making [INAUDIBLE] free throw line?

- Yeah, so, right, I mean, they're-- what they'd shoot? 26 for 30 from the line. So yeah, him and James, obviously, are two of the best at it. Their team is, you know, on top of the league in free throw shooting. So we're going to have to find a way to, you know, get creative to find different ways.

I thought we did a pretty good job. But at a certain point, you know, we're going to have to stop arguing with the refs and-- and find another solution because they're not budging. So I liked our intensity and our physicality. And we showed them our bodies. And we seem to be in the right spots on some of the doubles and things like that.

We'll have to find ways to get our hands out of there as he's searching for him and-- and maybe clean up the boards a little bit. But yeah, he dominated tonight. We didn't do as good a job as we did in the previous game. So again, look at the tape. I think we've got a day in-between. So let's see where we can be better at.

- They-- I guess they made runs. Obviously, [INAUDIBLE] how many free throws they had. A lot of them. And yeah, we made-- we-- you know, we played-- I think we-- we came out. We always have to be aggressive, and like we wanted to. And yeah, they-- they made more shots than we did. And-- and it was just-- it was just a little tough, you know, just some of the-- the runs that they had. And-- and obviously, you know, getting the free throw line and getting comfortable [INAUDIBLE] definitely not going to help us.

- Yeah, look, man, we tried our best to defend. Refs were calling foul. Can't do nothing about it.

- I'm-- again, I-- we did draw a couple of charges. We-- we absolutely-- I mean, on the challenge, I-- I don't see how that's not a charge. I mean, they see it live. And it's-- it looks like a charge. You look at it on the film, it looks like a charge. So that-- I thought that was a-- was a missed one. There was another open-handed slap to the face that, again, I-- I don't understand why they will not call them. But other than that, at least there wasn't as many elbows thrown to the face tonight that-- that we had to endure.

- Oh, man, he's-- he's a great coach. Obviously, I-- I got, you know, what he's been able to accomplish. And, you know, I've always been a big fan. But, you know, I-- I told him, you know, respectfully told him to stop bitching about calls.

[LAUGHTER]

- Is that what people talk [INAUDIBLE] about the last 14, 15 seconds [AUDIO OUT]

- Well, I-- he was-- yeah, he was saying to me that, you know, I'm going to keep making all the free throws if you keep fouling me. And I-- and I said, well, you might have to. Good-- good player, man. Like, I got a lot of respect for him. He's certainly playing great here. There's-- there's nothing-- nothing there. But-- but also, trying to compete against him and him trying to compete against us.

- I think we do as best as we can. You know, we try to play through the rules, and not foul, and be aggressive. So just, we tried our best.

- You mentioned the free throw thing again [INAUDIBLE] in the first quarter. I mean, you guys really made a concerted effort to bring the physicality, to start there. Is it, sort of, discouraging or deflating in any way when you are being physical and-- and it's resulting in [INAUDIBLE]?

- I'm-- I'm not going to talk about that. I'd rather not.