PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — “Don’t act like we’ve been talking about this for the last three months,” Sixers icon Charles Barkley said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”
“I live in Philadelphia. We’ve been talking for the last three years about this dude not shooting the ball.”
That “dude” is 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons. In Sunday night’s frustrating 103-96 Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons dished 13 assists, grabbed eight rounds, and committed only two turnovers. His defense on Trae Young was more than good enough to win the game.
But, as has often been the case with Simmons, he only attempted four shots and scored five points, and he did not take a shot in the fourth quarter.
Notably, in the fourth quarter — trailing Atlanta by two — Simmons had a wide-open dunk but instead passed the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who made one of two free throws after getting fouled.
“I just assumed [Danilo Gallinari] was coming over my back, and then [John] Collins moved out, and so I thought we just had the wide-open dunk,” Simmons explained.
The move was characteristic of his offensive play this series — a lack of aggression and bad foul shooting. It’s undeniable that hurt the Sixers’ chances of making the Eastern Conference Finals, which would have been the first time since 2001.
“Obviously he struggled from the free-throw line, and that became a factor in this series,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
“I didn’t shoot well from the line this series,” Simmons admitted. “Offensively, I wasn't there. I didn’t do enough for my teammates. There’s a lot of things to work on.”
“I thought the turning point was just we had an open shot, we made one free throw and we missed the other,” said Joel Embiid, “and then they came down and scored and we didn’t get a good possession on the other end. And Trae came back and he made a three and then from there down four. ... It’s on me, I turned the ball over, try to make something happen from the perimeter.”
Simmons made foul shots consistently in practice, and the same goes for perimeter jumpers. But something changes during games.
“Nobody thought he was gonna be scared to shoot,” Barkley said, while also admiring Simmons for taking responsibility postgame. “He is scared to shoot.”
Rivers has defended Simmons all postseason, referring to him as a “treasure.” But when asked postgame if Simmons can still be a point guard for a championship team, Rivers replied, “I don’t know that question or the answer to that right now.”
Rivers does still believe in Simmons, “but we have work to do,” he said. “We’re gonna have to get in the gym, put a lot of work in and go forward.”
Rivers did not play Simmons the final 54 seconds of Game 7, as the Sixers needed points more than defense.
Simmons previously acknowledged his free throw struggles were a mental hurdle. After the Sixers were bumped, he said, “The first thing I’m gonna do is clear my mind and get my mind right.”
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Sixers fans are growing impatient, and some have had enough — even calling on the team to trade Simmons, who has several years left on his contract. Simmons was asked postgame if he thinks he played his final minutes in Philadelphia.
“I feel like we just lost Game 7, that’s about it,” he said. “I love being in Philly. I love this organization. The fans are great. Great people. I had a bad series. I expect that. It’s Philly.”