Justise Winslow vs. Joel Embiid’s mask is the NBA feud the world deserves

The first-round matchup between the Heat and the Sixers had been exceedingly fun through its first two games, but it was missing a key dynamic; a villain. Enter Miami’s Justise Winslow, his love of being a bad guy, and his hatred of Joel Embiid’s face-saving mask. On Thursday, they combined for a classic heel vs. face showdown.

Embiid returned to the court for the first time in three weeks Thursday night, donning protective head gear to protect a broken orbital suffered in a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz back in March.

Winslow gave him anything but a warm welcome back, opting instead to try and take the all-star center’s face protector out of the game. The Heat forward purposely sought out and stepped on Embiid’s goggles in the second quarter.

“I can be the bad guy if that means winning,” Winslow told the Miami Herald after earning a chorus of boos in Game 2’s win in front of a hostile Philadelphia crowd. On Thursday, he took that philosophy to the next level.

It wasn’t enough to permanently break the carbon fiber mask or Embiid’s spirit, however. The 76ers center stayed in the game and slayed the Heat with 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

The Heat forward wasn’t called for a technical foul for his action, but could face discipline once the league reviews the tape on Friday. After the game, Embiid made sure Winslow, who lost Game 3 thanks in part to the large amount of Urkels on his team, knew one stomp wouldn’t take him or his masks out of the equation.

“As far as the mask, Justise stepped on it and tried to break it with his hands, but little do they know I have about 50 of them,” Embiid told reporters after the game. “It’s going to take much more than that to get me out of the series. I’m going to be a nightmare for them.”

Adding a healthy Embiid back to a streaking lineup is a scary thought. Philadelphia finished the 2017-18 season as the league’s hottest team, winning 17 straight games before a vintage Dwyane Wade performance and a loss in Game 2 of their first round playoff series. Ten of those wins came while the third-year center was recuperating.

As well as he played on Thursday, Embiid isn’t yet comfortable with his new “Phantom of the Process” accessory.

“At the end of the day, no matter how much it bothers me, I still got to be a basketball player,” said Embiid. “If the shots aren’t falling or it gets foggy and I can’t see, you know, there’s a lot of different stuff I can do. I felt like it was time for me to work. I was lucky that the shots were falling for me. ... I thought they were some tough shots.”

Embiid and his 49 remaining masks will return to the floor in Miami for Game 4 Saturday afternoon.