Sacre Bleu! Unusual Way Joel Embiid, Hawks Foe Trash Talk Each Other

Joel Embiid, Clint Capela

Getty Joel Embiid and Clint Capela have been trash-talking each other in French in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The shouting matches between Joel Embiid and Clint Capela were getting heated on Tuesday night. The two players were going at it, aggressively pushing and shoving each other while exchanging undecipherable words.

Those words were assumed to be NSFW, although the back-and-forth cursing wasn’t in English. Embiid (Cameroonian) and Capela (Swiss) were actually trash-talking in French. Sacre bleu! (Click here for a complete list of French swear words). After the game, Capela talked about the challenge of trying to stop Embiid in the paint. He is giving up two inches and 40 pounds in that matchup.

“There are not a lot of guys like him,” Capela said, via Atlanta Journal-Consitution. “Whenever you get an opportunity against him, you got to do the best you can. The fact that he’s bigger and you can’t really push him because it’s a foul. He has the advantage.”

Embiid scored a playoff career-high 40 points in Game 2 while grabbing 13 rebounds in 35 minutes. Capela was often on the receiving end of Embiid’s dominance as he finished with 10 points and eight rebounds (-25).

“Playing a game, you can call that, of cat and mouse,” Embiid said. “Faking and going back. Just trying to keep them guessing.”

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Embiid Praises Sixers Fans for ‘Awareness’

It was refreshing to hear a superstar Philly athlete send kudos to the fans. Embiid has definitely had his run-ins with them at times but the 7-footer has always appreciated their passion. Embiid was quick to drop a few compliments about their energy after Game 2.

“I have a lot of love for the Philly fans and playing at home there is nothing like it,” Embiid said. “The way they get loud, the love they show … and one thing that people have no idea, and that I’m proud of, is their knowledge of the game.

“They know everything that’s going on whether it’s moves on the team, who the team just signed, all that stuff. They just have a great awareness and that just shows you — that’s what I want, I want to play in a city where fans are into it. They care about you, they want to win, and that’s Philly for you.”

The hometown crowd affects the win-loss column, too. The Sixers went 29-7 at Wells Fargo Center during the regular season. Philly is 4-2 there in the postseason.

“We don’t seem to lose here. It’s rare,” Embiid said. “The fans are our best supporters, they are going to boo you but it’s to make you play better.”


Ben Simmons Channels Allen Iverson

It was a minor detail but one that many Reddit users were quick to point out. Ben Simmons walked into the arena prior to Game 2 wearing an Allen Iverson “2001 MVP” T-shirt, an ode to the Sixers legend who recently celebrated his 46th birthday.

Or maybe it was to stoke the flames for Embiid missing out on this year’s MVP award. Whatever the reasoning behind Simmons’ wardrobe decision, the fans ate it up. They were also loving the way he locked down Trae Young (21 points, 6-of-16 shooting) in Game 2. Young had to work for everything he got offensively.

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