ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy lost it over Joel Embiid: ‘Pump your brakes!’
The Sixers phenom stole the spotlight during a decisive win over the Toronto Raptors. But it might be too soon to call him one of the greatest ever.
Thursday night, it was the Joel Embiid show.
The Sixers phenom stole the spotlight during the team’s decisive 116-95 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Embiid scored 33 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had five blocked shots in just 28 minutes of playing time.
“He went beyond anything anyone had seen out of him in last year’s postseason or this one,” columnist Mike Sileski wrote about Embiid’s game. Keith Pompey wrote that Embiid “delivered on his promise to be more aggressive, but not reckless,” and columnist David Murphy praised the Sixers star’s sudden transformation “into the player who dominated during the regular season.”
Embiid’s performance also wowed ESPN’s Mark Jackson, who was calling the game at the Wells Fargo Center alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and analyst Jeff Van Gundy.
“It would be a crime if he left the game and — barring any injury — not being compared to the best big men that’s ever played this game,” Jackson said late in the fourth quarter. “He’s got to be in that discussion.”
Jackson’s comment didn’t sit well with Van Gundy, a one-time NBA coach who has been calling games for ESPN since 2007.
“Hold on! Pump the brakes! Pump your brakes!” Van Gundy interjected, rolling off a list of Hall of Famers that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Shaquille O’Neal.
“The evidence is in front of us,” Jackson responded.
» READ MORE: Sixers’ defense, physicality have left Raptors frustrated in NBA playoff series
As you’d expect, Van Gundy’s comments drew quite a reaction on social media, especially from Sixers fans and Philadelphia media personalities who didn’t appreciate the ESPN commentator yelling about the team’s top star.
On the face of it, Van Gundy’s not wrong to point out that Embiid is only at the beginning of his career, and has a long way to go before achieving the greatness of Hall of Fame players. But Jackson also wasn’t saying Embiid was as great as those players yet, something Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long pointed out on Twitter.
Van Gundy did manage to pull himself back, and even offered some advice to the Raptors and head coach Nick Nurse following the loss.
“Don’t take criticism from people you wouldn’t take advice from,” Van Gundy said.
“You can’t go past the speed limit with that gem right there. You just preached,” Jackson followed, making Van Gundy repeat it for the audience.
The Sixers now hold a 2-1 lead over the Raptors. Game 4 will be on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., and will air on ABC. Calling the game will be Mark Jones, Hubie Brown, and Israel Gutierrez.
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