The snapshot Sixers fans will remember above all others from this night occurred with 3 minutes, 30 seconds remaining. That’s when the Hawks, trying to protect an 88-86 lead, made a defensive mistake that left Simmons under the basket wide open for a dunk that would have tied the game.
For some reason - probably because his foul shooting woes in these playoffs have been firmly implanted in his brain - Simmons chose not to accept the gift from Atlanta. He instead flicked a pass to Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the line. From that point on, the 76ers never had a shot in the air the rest of the game that would have either tied or taken the lead.
“I'll be honest,” Embiid said. “I thought the turning point was when we - I don't know how to say it - is when we had an open shot and we made one free throw.”
Embiid wasn’t the only one to passive-aggressively take a shot at Simmons. When asked after the game if he could be the point guard on a championship team, 76ers coach Doc Rivers - who has been pumping up Simmons in the media all season - said “I don’t know the answer to that right now.”
The pile-on isn’t unwarranted. Simmons was a zero on offense for the Sixers, and in seven games against the Hawks he took three total field goals in fourth quarters and was often on the bench in crunch time because the 76ers couldn't risk him being fouled. For a former No. 1 overall pick who will make about $146 million over the next four seasons, that is not good enough.
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