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Joel Embiid loves to say “winning and dominating is fun.” And while the Philadephia 76ers center has cut back on his silly antics this season, there are some instances when Embiid can’t help himself. For example, the DX-Chop which has been hilariously re-named the “Thrust the Process.”
That’s right. Embiid hit the deck after a whirling, twirling transition “and-1” layup in Game 2 against the Washington Wizards. Instead of getting right back up, the 7-footer stayed down on the court behind the basket and started vibrating his pelvic area in … shall we say, a suggestive manner? Embiid has performed the move many times, but never when winning and dominating like this. The Sixers beat the Wizards 125-95 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Embiid finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes and sat out the entire fourth quarter. After the game, he explained the enthusiastic celebration had been inspired by his professional wrestling fandom.
“I mean it’s fun, I missed the crowd,” Embiid told reporters. “I mentioned that in the past, D-X [Generation], with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, they are my favorite wrestlers and they were a group and that’s what they used to do. And also with the and-one, it just made sense to come down.
“At the end of the day, I missed the crowd and when they get loud because it doesn’t only help me but it helps the whole team. By getting a lot of makes, by wanting to get stops and wanting to get out in transition and play defense.”
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Triple H, Origins of the ‘Crotch Chop’
The D-X Chop — technically called the “crotch chop” — was made famous by WWE superstars Shawn Michaels and Triple H as they turned the move into their signature taunt. Triple H explained its origins in 2019:
“I couldn’t go out there and point at my crotch and say something to somebody,” Triple H told TV Guide. “But I could look at somebody and say, ‘Man, I’m hurt really bad. It doesn’t hurt so much ‘here’ and motion towards my face, or ‘here,’ and motion towards my knees. ‘But it hurts right here’ and point towards my crotch. And that slowly began to morph. It was like our insider way of saying suck it without saying it.”
Sixers Ready to Sweep Wizards in D.C.
The Sixers-Wizards series shifts to D.C. for Game 3 on Saturday at 7 p.m. Philadelphia will be surely in sweep mode as they need only two more wins to advance to the second round. In addition to his on-court theatrics, Embiid talked about how his basketball game has changed over the past two seasons.
He is a much more patient player this year, something that is very noticeable when you watch the way he passes out of double teams. The front office surrounded him with shooters and he trusts them. He doesn’t have to put the cape on every single night.
“I’m just taking my time, I’m just letting it come to me,” Embiid said. “Like tonight [Wednesday], they were sending three guys on me, I’m making the right play and in those situations, I just have to make the right plays and not force anything and that’s the way the game has slowed down for me. In the past, I would be trying to force it.”
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