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One former NBA star and Philadelphia native doesn’t want to hear about bad calls from the 76ers or referees not seeing head coach Nick Nurse calling for a timeout.
Rasheed Wallace, a four-time All-Star and 2004 NBA champ with the Detroit Pistons saw the ending of Game 2 of the Sixers’ first-round series with the New York Knicks.
And while the league admitted refs should’ve called fouls on New York’s Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson before a Donte DiVincenzo game-winning 3-pointer, he doesn’t want to hear any more excuses.
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Tobias Harris of the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first round of the playoffs at Madison Square Garden April 22, 2024, in New York City. The Knicks won 104-101. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Instead, looking ahead at Game 3, Wallace is pointing the finger at one man in particular for the 76ers, who are looking for a win in their first home game of the series.
"I can’t really blame Buddy [Hield], though. He just got here. I can motherf---ing blame Tobias [Harris] with his s---, though," Wallace said bluntly on his "Sheed & Tyler" podcast with TylerIAm.
"If you’re listening, we mad with you, too, dog," Wallace added. "You gotta step that s--- the f--- up. Yo, you getting all that bread. We need more than 5-for-12 for 10 points. We need more than that from him."
76ERS' TYRESE MAXEY WAS FOULED TWICE BY KNICKS BEFORE NEW YORK'S GO-AHEAD THREE, NBA SAYS
Wallace isn’t the only critic who has a gripe with Harris, who is making $39.3 million this season. Harris is in the final year of his five-year, $180 million contract and is expected to be a core player alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
That has been a problem for the 76ers, who are reliant on Embiid and Maxey too often without someone else in the lineup picking up the slack offensively. Harris was 3 of 7 from the field in Game 1 for seven points, and then just 4 of 11 for 10 points in a Game 2 loss that stunned everyone in Philly as the Knicks scored six points in a matter of seconds late in the fourth quarter.
Harris' average of 8.5 points early in this series is half his 17.2 during the regular season.
"Here’s the whole key how you step up. It’s not a matter of, ‘OK, I had a bad shooting game tonight, so now I gotta go out here tonight, Game 2, and prove that I can shoot,’ and now you might shoot horrendous again," Wallace explained.
Retired NBA player Rasheed Wallace attends the launching ceremony of OYTP (Outstanding Youth Training Program) basketball camp at Incity July 15, 2018, in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. (Visual China Group via Getty Images)
"You gotta make that difference within the game. You can be a little extra greedy because what’s happening, all they doing is switching. Mitch [Robinson] is a good defender. He’s a good shot blocker. But, at times, when he comes out, other than that, they ain’t got no shot blocker in there like when Embiid go to the bench. We ain’t got no shot blockers in there.
"You gotta go at it, dog. You gotta go at it hard. Just come with that, as we said, that young boy energy, that full energy."
Harris has been banging the boards, grabbing nine rebounds in each playoff game so far. But Wallace wants to see him be more aggressive, especially when Embiid goes to the bench for a breather.
Former NBA star Rasheed Wallace ripped Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris, telling him he needs to step up in Game 3. (Getty Images)
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It may be early in the seven-game series, but if the Knicks pull out a victory on the road Thursday night, the 76ers’ backs are definitely against the wall.
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