The Atlanta Hawks handed the Sixers an admittedly embarrassing loss in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last night. The Sixers lead by as much as 18 at one point, but the pesky Hawks battled back and knotted the series 2-2.

I’m not one to overreact to a loss like that (stay tuned to thelibertyline.com for more), especially this one. It was clear Joel Embiid was not himself from the start, and he played that way. Jojo was 4/20 from the floor, inevitably killing the Sixers’ chance to win by blowing a wide-open layup.

Hawks big man Clint Capela saw the struggling Joel Embiid, who had been cooking his bum ass all series, and said to himself:

“This is because of me. Nothing else could have impacted Joel’s performance tonight other than my hard-nosed defense.”

It’s one thing to think that to yourself, but Clint decided to publicly take credit for Embiid’s fatigue in his post-game availability.

LOL. Okay, Clint. Yes, a tired Joel Embiid is not as good as a fresh one. However, what you cannot do is think you had anything to do with that. You had a decent game, sure, but all of Joel’s struggles stemmed from himself. 

I’m not here to make an excuse for Joel Embiid. He played an objectively terrible game. I’m more here to provide a reason: maybe his TORN MENISCUS?? And yes, Joel Embiid has a torn meniscus. You can take off your tin foil hats, Philly sports media.

Clint Capela hasn’t been a genuinely good big since he played with James Harden in Houston, and most of that praise came because he was teammates with Harden. The regular season stat-packer is now just Trae Young’s Lob Boy.

His whole fake tough-guy persona is genuinely hilarious. I mean, he’s Swiss. Fight in literally one war, you coward nation. I already hate the Swiss, and Capela isn’t helping. Are you German? No. French? No. Are you chock full of cowards and gold from the most reviled regime in European history? Absolutely.

My disdain for the Swiss aside, I think Clint Capela is a straight-up jackwagon. First, he called out the Knicks, one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, for “fake physicality.” Meanwhile, his point guard reenacted Swan Lake for a sold-out Madison Square Garden. Now he’s taking credit for wearing down an MVP candidate playing on one knee. 

That’s me shooting Shaq in the leg with a .45, him still trying to play, and me taking credit for lockdown defense. An absolute joke.

Joel Embiid in four games against the Hawks:

Game One: 39 Points, 9 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, 3 Blocks

Game Two: 40 Points, 13 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block

Game Three: 27 Points, 9 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 1 Steal, 3 Blocks

Game Four: 17 Points, 21 Rebounds, 4 Assists

In the end, it’s all fine. Capela can have his moment in the sun. We are headed back to Philly for Game 5 on Wednesday, and I can assure him it will be a win with or without a full-strength Joel Embiid.

Sixers in 6. Always has been.

Listen to The Wolves of Broad St

Mandatory Credit: Me lmao