A couple of great basketball games in the NBA playoff tournament over the weekend (as of this writing). The Phoenix Suns won Game One of their Western Conference Finals series – without Chris Paul – against the Los Angeles Clippers. Later, the Philadelphia 76ers’ season came to a disappointing end as the Atlanta Hawks won Game Seven in the Conference Semifinal series, at home in Philly.
So now the 76ers will spend their offseason figuring out what went wrong for them or who didn’t show up. Already some are pointing some big fingers at Ben Simmons. One of those oversized fingers belongs to Shaquille O’Neal. (Our thanks to EssentiallySports.com for info on this post.)
Critics have called Simmons an offensive liability for the Sixers. He’s been called out by fans and analysts alike for his below-average performances, especially in the postseason. Pretty strange, considering this is the same Ben Simmons who’s been named to the league’s All-Star team three years straight.
If you saw Inside the NBA before the game, you probably heard Shaq challenge Simmons to “man up” as the game was about to start. Obviously that didn’t really happen, and O’Neal had some harsh comments for Simmons after the loss.
Shaq afterwards: “If he was in my locker room I would’ve knocked his ass out.” To which broadcast partner Kenny Smith chimed in, “I know he would, I heard the stories.”
Game facts: Simmons free throw shooting has been on a steady downhill run. Opponents figured they could simply send Simmons to the line with intentional fouls (Hack-a-Shaq style?), and watch as Simmons free-throw percentage when down the drain.
The question now is this: Will the player brought to Philly to be superstar Joel Embiid‘s right-hand man even be with the team when next season starts?
and get them a championship has now possibly risked any future with the Sixers.
Critics are already wondering – out loud – about Simmons’ future with the Philadelphia 76ers. Well, the team and its fans have the summer off to make some soul-searching decisions. Get back with us in the fall…\