Two years ago, a young and inexperienced Atlanta Hawks team, led by Trae Young, defeated the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Not only was the upset loss an abrupt ending to Doc Rivers' post-season debut at the helm of the 76ers, but it was always the last game that Ben Simmons would play with the franchise that drafted him. Following the team's epic collapse, the team's best player, Joel Embiid, seemingly took a shot at Ben Simmons, who struggled throughout the playoff series against the Hawks, by underlining the fact that he passed on an easy layup during the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
"I mean, I'll be honest," Embiid said during a post-game interview. "I thought the turning point was when we — I don't know how to say it — but I thought the turning point was just we had an open shot and we made one free throw and we missed the other and then they came down and scored...We didn't get a good possession on the other end and Trae (Young) came back and he made a 3 and then from there, down four (with 45 seconds to go), it's on me. I turned the ball over and tried to make something happen from the perimeter. But I thought that was the turning point."
Shortly after that, an off-court battle with mental health ensued for Ben Simmons, culminating with setbacks and an unreconcilable feud with the 76ers. In 2021, the three-time NBA All-Star was traded from the 76ers to the Brooklyn Nets (along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round draft picks) for James Harden. Although both sides have moved on, Simmons has yet to regain form on the court. The 6'11 point guard was noticeably missing from the active roster during the 76ers vs. Nets matchup in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs this year. Yesterday, his former team suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Ironically enough, the 76ers were just eliminated from the playoffs at the exact same juncture of their post-season exit two years ago after being defeated by the Atlanta Hawks. But this time around, they couldn't blame Ben Simmons or his lack of aggression for their woes.
Simmons seemed to chalk up the 76ers' loss as a moral victory, posting a screenshot of himself on Instagram stories while watching the game on television when the score was 108-78 in the game's final minutes. In front of the flat television screen was a glass of red wine on a glass coffee table. For those familiar with his story involving the Philadelphia 76ers, no caption was necessary.
Scroll up and swipe right to view a screenshot of Ben Simmons' IG story.
Source: Instagram
