Ben Simmons has been at the center of a lot of controversy over the last 24 hours. Simmons was initially expected to make his first appearance for the Nets in Game 4 of the Nets’ first-round series against the Celtics. But it was announced yesterday that the Nets were going to hold off on Simmons playing, as he had experienced a little more discomfort in his back. This news did not go down well in the NBA community.
NBA analyst and well-known Boston Celtics fan Bill Simmons took to Twitter to take shots at Ben Simmons for missing Game 4. Bill Simmons jokingly posted that Ben Simmons was now expected to make his return in Game 7 or Game 8 of the series. Game 7 is an unlikely possibility for the Nets as a whole, and a Game 8 is literally impossible, as all playoff series in the NBA are best of 7 series.
Ben Simmons now targeting Game 7 or Game 8. Details to come.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 24, 2022
Ben Simmons now targeting Game 7 or Game 8. Details to come.
Bill Simmons was far from the only one to make jokes and comments at the expense of the former All-Star. Reggie Miller furiously slammed Simmons for showing no competitive fire by not returning to the Nets. He noted that while the Nets are 3-0 down, the talent they have can make a difference, and Simmons should have the confidence in himself and the rest of his teammates to turn the series around in their favor.
The Nets continue to make moves that suggest that they have little-to-no hope to turn this series around. If the Nets felt that they had a chance to try and make things happen, they would have done their best to convince Simmons to take the risk and play. But it is possible that they don’t want to risk Simmons getting hurt and pushing their offseason planning back.
