Nick Nurse revisits infamous spats with Joel Embiid when he was Raptors coach
Of all the players Nick Nurse went up against during his time as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, few feuds were higher-profile than his spats with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
Playing Embiid in a pair of playoff series in 2019 and 2022, broadcast cameras were quick to capture the then-rival coach and player arguing back and forth throughout their postseason battles.
The most high-profile incident came after Game 2 in 2022 when Embii told reporters postgame that he wanted Nurse to “stop b*tching” about referee calls.
Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid were having a conversation with just seconds to go in the game.
What do you think they were saying? pic.twitter.com/baYuHfNOZk
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 19, 2022
So when Nurse was hired as the 76ers coach this past spring following his departure from Toronto, it was pretty natural to wonder how the new pairing of him and Embiid would gel.
In a sit-down interview with the Pat Bev Pod with 76ers guard Patrick Beverley and his co-host, Adam “Rone” Ferrone, Nurse discussed his history with Embiid.
“I didn’t realize we were going at it that much over the years until we got here. I literally accidentally had my TV on in the hotel in Philly, and I was like ‘man I don’t even remember being like that’, but the proof was there,” Nurse admitted. “We were saying all kinds of things. He was just asking me what’s coming next, and I’d say, ‘Well, we’re just sending everybody, man, so get ready. You’re not gonna beat us.'”
Nurse’s Raptors got the better of Embiid and Philadelphia in 2019 ā by way of a famous series-ending shot from Kawhi Leonard at the buzzer rang in Game 7 ā while the 76ers came out on top by a 4-2 series score in 2022.
“I probably complained they were giving him too many calls and they were all fouls. I’d be like, ‘They can’t call ’em all, so we’re gonna keep fouling you,'” Nurse laughed about his interactions with Embiid in 2022. “Maybe you need to get his side of the story on that, too.”
The full interview with Nurse and the Pat Bev Pod is available below:
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