The Philadelphia 76ers’ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal matchup was a huge wake-up call for the entire franchise. And no Philly player has felt more heat in the past day than Ben Simmons.
Simmons didn’t take a shot in the fourth quarter on Sunday, and he basically sent the entire NBA world into a frenzy when he passed up a wide-open dunk in the fourth quarter, passing it instead to Matisse Thybulle who was fouled and split a pair of free throws.
Joel Embiid called that moment a turning point in the game, and judging from his reaction, it’s easy to see why. Embiid was visibly frustrated as Simmons turned down the layup opportunity.
here is Joel Embiid’s reaction when Ben Simmons passed up the wide open dunk pic.twitter.com/lrfdYiYpkv
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 21, 2021
And here’s the wide view of the play:
Ben Simmons did not just pass this up… pic.twitter.com/4JyM7ZHNkJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2021
It remains wild that an All-NBA player could be so afraid to shoot in an elimination game. It’s even more telling when Simmons’ coach and top teammate weren’t exactly willing to back him up amid the scrutiny.
"I don't know the answer to that question right now."
Doc Rivers on if Ben Simmons can be the point guard on a championship team pic.twitter.com/JPR3xAQj9B
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2021
Yeah, it’s going to be a long offseason in Philadelphia.
Simmons finished with 5 points and 13 assists on four shot attempts.
