As I sat there watching the Philadelphia 76ers compete in a do-or-die elimination game, trying to figure out some way, any way, to generate consistent offense against Atlanta’s mediocre-at-best defense, there was one thought that kept creeping into the back of my mind as the Sixers stumbled their way to a crushing 103-96 loss to the Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Sixers – the players, the coach, the organization as a whole – failed Joel Embiid.
You saw Ben Simmons, their max contract point guard, moving so little from his designated spot along the baseline that he might as well have been standing in cement.
