Simmons Returns, But "Soft" Sixers Still Lose Game Three in Miami
This wasn’t how Ben Simmons’ return was supposed to go.
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NBA Playoffs First Round: Heat Lead Sixers 2-1
At least the opening tip was exciting. Ten minutes before the game had started, we still didn't know if Ben Simmons was going to be available for the first time in two months, and Sixers fans naturally started turning to skepticism. But then to the delight of emoji snorters anywhere, with five minutes until tip, Serena Winters tweeted that our star point guard would indeed be a go. Sixers Twitter reached a fever pitch of pumped-upedness as Simmons took the floor, rubbing his hands, and then received the Joel Embiid tip to for the first possession of the game, slamming the ball extra high on his first dribble as if to say: Let's get it.
They didn't get it.
The adrenalized Sixers were able to keep pace for about a quarter before going cold. Joel Embiid's 32-15-5 in Game Two felt like a distant memory in this one, as he struggled to get his rhythm right with Ben back in the lineup, and kept trying to do too much in close quarters against Bam Adebayo. After two games of mostly getting abused, this time Adebayo won the matchup pretty handily with a 27-18-7 line, putting up the same point total in 10 shots that took Joel 19 attempts. And the attacking mentality that Simmons has before he got injured just wasn't there tonight -- he took just 10 shots on the night, and only three free throws, for a 12-point total. That left a lot of volume for Tobias Harris, and he got his numbers, but suffice to say that when Tobi is going 12-28 for the Sixers, their offensive balance is probably as out of whack as their Basketball-Reference "Contracts" page.
Meanwhile, Miami's offense started slipping out of their grasp. The shooters started hitting again -- Duncan Robinson goddamn it you friggin' nerd, one of these days you're going to miss -- and while Simmons predictably picked up the assignment on Jimmy Butler, the head-to-head was a lot closer to the two's fourth showdown than their first three. In that one, he torched Ben & Co. for 38 on 14-20 shooting; this time around it was just 34 on 13-23 shooting, but still damage that was more than sufficient for Jimothy to do his fair share of "THIS IS MY HOUSE (THAT I STARTED WORKING OUT IN AT 3:30 IN THE MORNING)!!" peacocking. The Sixers couldn't say much in return as they limped towards a 117-102 final score, dropping them to down 2-1 in the series.
Of course, Butler saved his strongest statement for after the game, using the "S"iest of "S" words to dub his former teammates and currently competitors. "Look man, I was trying to tell y'all last year," he said to a room of politely laughing reporters with his trademark I-don't-wanna-say-it-like-it-is-but-I-gotta-say-it-like-it-is smirk during his post-game conference. "There's a lot of talented players on that team, dudes that got more natural talent than I ever had. But do they got what it takes to really win? Do they have that back-against-the-wall, do-or-die mentality? In the game's biggest moments, are they gonna dig deep and do what they gotta do to do to get the job done? I dunno man, I don't see it. To me, in those moments, they're kinda soft."
An oddly timed profile on Ben Simmons talked about his health, attitude, and of course, why he doesn't shoot three point shots. We discuss what Simmons said, and what the people around him said.
You could tell that Embiid, who still daps it up with Butler before every tip, was a little stung by his former teammate's words. "I mean, that's Jimmy, he's gonna have his opinion," a deflated-sounding Embiid said to reporters after the game. "You know, he was a great player for us when he was here, a great closer. There are some times when we miss having him as that guy to just go get us a bucket. But do I think we can't win without him? Nah. Do I think we're soft? Nah. I know these guys, Coach knows these guys, we've got the heart we need to win in this series. But Jimmy, he's right that we gotta actually show that we can do it. And that's on me, and on Ben now that he's back, to be those leaders that get us there."
Speaking of Ben: On almost any other night, he'd have had the most headline-grabbing post-game quotes, as he shed (or at least suggested) a little light on what had been keeping him out so long. "Uh, you know, we just wanted to make sure," he told the gathered crew in the Sixers' locker room. "I've been feeling good for a little while now, but you know, the first time I came back from this, we felt like maybe it was a little bit rushed. So this time, I really talked it over with my people, got some expert opinions, and we just decided I was going to come back when I really felt ready. After missing the first two games, I thought it was time. And yeah, I felt good out there today, feel good right now, no real setbacks. Onto Game Four."
It was hard not to interpret Simmons' comments as being Ben and His People -- namely agent Rich Paul -- establishing leverage with the Philadelphia 76ers and sending a message to them (and their historically poor-shooting medical staff) by holding him out of a couple playoff games that he probably could have played in. Brett Brown, whose facial hair looked like it had just seen a ghost, offered little in his own media availability to tamp down those suspicions. "I don't know what you guys want me to say at this point, I really don't," he said, chuckling exasperatedly. "If Ben's people thought that he shouldn't have played those first two games, then that's their decision and we all have no choice but to respect it. We're just glad he's back now, and now we all have to get in the film room and figure out what we're gonna do so we don't fall into a 3-1 hole in this series on Sunday."
So it's a Choose Your Own Freakout day off for Sixers fans getting ready for Game Four on Sunday. What will it be: Ben potentially alienating the locker room by leaving the rest of the team to fend for themselves in the first two games of the series? Joel being so wounded by his good buddy's snickering words that he retreats into a shell for the rest of the series (and then maybe mentally books a ticket for South Beach in the offseason?) Al Horford, 2-13 from three in this series so far, putting the final nail in his coffin of untradeability? Brett officially losing his pants and his mind? Tobias Harris being the face of the franchise for the next half-decade? The Sixers having to win a crucial road game to save their season? Jimmy Butler potentially being proven right about... everything? Trick question: After seven years of trusting the process, Sixers fans know by now how to multi-Freak. Onto Game Four, indeed.