• Ben Simmons passing up on a dunk over Trae Young in the 2021 Playoffs marked the end of his tenure on the 76ers
• Simmons could have posterized 6’1″ Young easily but chose to pass it out to Matisse Thybulle
• This play is what Simmons’ 76ers tenure is remembered by
The 2021 Playoffs saw the Atlanta Hawks make a shock run to the Eastern Conference Finals, led by Trae Young. In the second round, the Hawks won a shocking seven-game series against the league-leading Philadelphia 76ers.
That series is remembered for the disappearance of Ben Simmons, who didn’t look like the All-NBA talent he had established himself as. That became evident when 6’10” Simmons didn’t dunk the ball over the 6’1″ Young in an infamous play that showed he was officially afraid to score the ball. Fans were shocked as well.
6’10 Ben Simmons passes up wide-open dunk when he sees Hawks primary rim protector 5’11 Trae Young coming to help (2021)
by u/Low-Cheesecake-4372 in nba
One fan joked, “Making the extra pass. Turning down an awesome shot for a good shot.”
Another fan mocked Simmons for not caring about his numbers, “Selfless basketball right here. This man truly does not care about stats.”
Unfortunately, more jokes at Ben’s expense rolled in, “Some still say to this day that he passes up wide-open looks.”
A fan put into perspective how impactful this play ended up being, “The most infamous 1-point swing with 3:30 left in a game ever.”
Another fan thinks this will forever be replayed, “It’s really one of those, ‘Oh this will be replayed for years and years.'”
The 76ers haven’t recovered from that loss, with a fan saying Trae Young ended Philly’s ‘Process’, “Thank you for reminding us that Trae Young ended The Process.”
More fans reacted to the bad play. “This hasn’t gotten any better with age. This hurts to watch. At absolute best, this is horrible decision-making.”
Simmons ended that series with 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists, routinely not even attempting shots in second halves. He scored just 5 points in this pivotal Game 7.
This series was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Simmons was embroiled in an exhausting trade saga that ended when he was moved to the Nets for James Harden.
Ben Simmons Marked The End Of The 76ers’ Contention Hopes
The 2020-21 season was the best chance that the 76ers had to win a title. They should’ve comfortably beaten the Hawks but Ben Simmons’ forgetting to play basketball and Joel Embiid struggling to find consistency sank them. They haven’t been nearly as competitive as a roster since that season, as Embiid’s playoff struggles have worsened.
James Harden theoretically allowed them to upgrade, but losing Ben impacted Philly’s defense in ways it still hasn’t recovered. With Harden also angling to leave the franchise this offseason, it seems Embiid is going to be left holding the bag for organizational malpractice and incongruent teammates once again.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
