The handshake debate: do you care if playoff opponents refuse to shake hands?

[Moranis]

I'm fine if the player is consistent.  If they never shake hands or always shake hands that works for me, but if they pick and choose when and how to do it, it bugs me a bit.

[colincb]

I'd prefer to have them shake hands, but it's not a catastrophe if they don't. Just shows bad sportsmanship.

[mqtcelticsfan]

I can't think of much that I care about less than whether or not players shake hands after a game. They're professional basketball players, not kids we're trying to teach sportsmanship to.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

After Marcus Smart leaped above the Garden parquet, grabbed the 76ers’ last-gasp heave, and fired it back into the air, Joe Embiid pulled off his facemask and walked straight off the court. He did not stop to shake hands with the Celtics on his way to the locker room.

According to Yahoo Sports Ben Rohrbach, that did not sit well with the Celtics. He reported that several Boston players sounded annoyed by Embiid’s sportsmanship in the locker room after their Game 5 series-clinching victory, “especially after he talked so much trash.”

“At least man up,” one Celtics player said.

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2018/05/11/celtics-joel-embiid-man-up-shake-hands

I think it to some degree shows a lack of class to not shake hands, but it's not a huge deal.  It's probably not worth a Celtics player griping about it.

don't even care. we have bigger fish to fry. KG and RR did same thing after game 7 of 2012 EC finals.  to me it shows they do have emotion and passion and really despise who they are playing against. I have no problems with that. I despised that 2012 heat team as well. could it be a little non classy? sure. but unless a player is doing this all the time it is nothing to fret over. things get heated in the playoffs. tempers flare. players talk trash. all part of the game! GO CELTICS!

[slamtheking]

After Marcus Smart leaped above the Garden parquet, grabbed the 76ers’ last-gasp heave, and fired it back into the air, Joe Embiid pulled off his facemask and walked straight off the court. He did not stop to shake hands with the Celtics on his way to the locker room.

According to Yahoo Sports Ben Rohrbach, that did not sit well with the Celtics. He reported that several Boston players sounded annoyed by Embiid’s sportsmanship in the locker room after their Game 5 series-clinching victory, “especially after he talked so much trash.”

“At least man up,” one Celtics player said.

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2018/05/11/celtics-joel-embiid-man-up-shake-hands

I think it to some degree shows a lack of class to not shake hands, but it's not a huge deal.  It's probably not worth a Celtics player griping about it.

this.

it's a bigger deal for little leaguers to understand sportsmanship.  not so much for professional players but it does reveal a bit of Embiid's character --> the trash talking throughout the series does add to that character perception

[18isGREATERthan72]

In principle it doesn't bother me, but it does bother me from a guy who is only in his second season of playing, has already been committed one of the richest contracts in history, and who has accomplished nothing yet as a player.  Don't get me wrong, I find Embiid's on court trash talk to be a bit refreshing and enjoyable to watch however the dude definitely needs to learn to be a good loser before he can become a good winner.

Talking about the instance with KG and RR, I think the circumstances were slightly different.  That was already a championship team and that year was really their last chance at it.  Much like Brady not making a huge effort to congratulate the Eagles after the SB loss.

[Csfan1984]

Don't like handshakes at the end. Do like them to start the game though.

[KGs Knee]

Doesn't really much matter to me either way although I think the hockey handshake lines at the end of playoff series' are pretty cool.

Yeah, it's kind of ironic that in a sport that allows actual fighting the players can manage to summon up a far greater level of sportsmanship than basketball players can.

[Chris22]

I have no problem with not shaking hands after the game. It's not a church social, it's a battle of wills.

[Ilikesports17]

Don't care at all

[greg683x]

when we beat the Wizards in game 7 last year, I thought John Wall and Markieff Morris showed a lot of class by going up and congratulating Kelly Olynyk, while he was on national tv no less, this on the heels him being called a dirty player by the wizards players and fanbase throughout the last few games of the series.

That being said, Im gonna echo what most other people and say that it really doesnt bother me if players decide not to shake.  If anything players on opposing teams pal around too much these days. 

[Fafnir]

I don't care.

I get why some players do, especially the ones who make sure to dap/hug/shake after games.

[GreenEnvy]

It’s usually the players you would expect to do that. Not surprised at all by Embiid doing this. We all know he’s a clown whose mouth writes checks his team can’t cash.

Reminds me a lot of the fighters who get knocked out and immediately leave the ring.

[greece66]

No, this is basketball not chess.