In Game 4, Joel Embiid’s 0-12 shooting helped the Atlanta Hawks walk away with a close victory. Entering Game 5, nobody predicted a similar meltdown happening again.
Somehow, though, the Sixers blew another big lead down the stretch of the game, resulting in another loss. Standing on the brink of elimination, NBA Twitter was absolutely roasting the team for their rather embarrassing play in the clutch.
https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1405356755194945541
Tough times 😔 pic.twitter.com/kZHrB3E82f
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 17, 2021
Ben Simmons really be chilling on offense! I think it’s safe to say that Seth Curry is Embiid’s Robin. Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1405353605872467969
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) June 17, 2021
How Trae Young and the Hawks stole game 5 from the Sixers pic.twitter.com/fZzabj931F
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) June 17, 2021
Sixers fans right now: pic.twitter.com/5Y37P9Abu6
— GoodGuysBets (@goodguysbet) June 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/randyjcruz/status/1405352594600513540https://twitter.com/homiesloveryan/status/1405355419644665856
Soo…what did we learn Sixer fans? 👀 pic.twitter.com/clFvwDhptG
— DJ (@kingdj_5297) June 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/MondtoJet/status/1405356710211031040
It’s a pretty bad look for everyone on the team, including Doc Rivers, who has drawn more than a few questions about his coaching after tonight’s loss.
This Sixers squad is more experienced and talented than Atlanta, and there really is no excuse for them to have blown back-to-back double-digit leads.
Even with that being said, though, this series is not yet over. So long as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are available to play, the Sixers have a chance to win. And even with their flaws, the Sixers have shown all season long why they’re a force to be reckoned with in the East.
But come back and win the next two is not going to be easy, especially when the Sixers head back to Atlanta for Game 6.
In the end, we’re going to find out a whole lot about this Philly team. Will they rise to the occasion, or will they fold under the mounting pressure?
