‘I’d be sick’: Scoresheet reveals 76ers Ben Simmons trainwreck

The spectre of Ben Simmons appears alive and well in Philadelphia after an extraordinary stats sheet that said it all.

James Harden was Ben Simmons for one quarter. Photo: Twitter, Tom Haberstroh.

The spectre of Ben Simmons still walks the halls of the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia.

The Aussie was at the back of everyone’s mind when James Harden suffered such an eerily similar meltdown to the one Simmons famously had during the Easter Conference Playoffs 12 months ago.

Now the internet is having a good guffaw over the brutal reality the Sixers find themselves in.

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The team went all in on Harden following Simmons’ demand to be traded.

They threw the kitchen sink at the Nets to release Harden, coughing up Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first round draft picks.

For all that, the team finds itself in he same position as last year — a conference semi-finals elimination where the finger of blame has been pointed at the team’s key playmaker.

If it wasn’t so painful, the stats sheet Harden delivered during the Game 6 loss to Miami on Friday would make Sixers fans laugh, or cry.

Harden finished with 11 points to go with Joel Embiid’s limited impact of 20 points, while shooting at just 25 per cent from the field.

At least Embiid shot the ball.

Harden, the man the Sixers gambled everything on fell apart.

James Harden was Ben Simmons for one quarter. Photo: Twitter, Tom Haberstroh.

Harden shot just zero from two in the second half. Simmons famously did not attempt fourth-quarter shots in the final four games of the series that saw the Sixers fall to Atlanta 12 months ago.

Harden’s second half flop was all too familiar.

Harden’s stats sheet from the fourth quarter will haunt Sixers fans when measured against Ben Simmons performance from Philadelphia’s Game 7 elimination last year.

Ben Simmons' final 4Q last year
vs.
James Harden's final 4Q this year pic.twitter.com/7fRI5wFWwf

— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) May 13, 2022

It did no go unnoticed by NBA commentators on Twitter.

Trading Ben Simmons for James Harden because you wanted someone who would actually shoot the ball just for him to attempt 8 shots in a must win game is the most unfortunate thing I’ve seen for Sixers Fans. I’d be so sick. At least Ben rebounded and Played Defense man 😭.

— HTB ♨️ (@HenryTheBlasian) May 13, 2022

The Sixers moved heaven and earth to acquire James Harden because Ben Simmons wouldn’t shoot the ball with the season on the line, only for Harden not to shoot the ball with the season on the line…cold world, man

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) May 13, 2022

got simmons off the roster just for harden not to shoot with the season on the line. i gotta admit that's pretty funny.

— bomani (@bomani_jones) May 13, 2022

Ben Simmons and James Harden attempting the same number of second half shots in Philly's last two elimination games was the only way this could have ended.

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 13, 2022

Brooklyn is expecting Simmons to be back fit and firing for the start of pre-season training this year following back surgery.

Harden’s return to the Sixers is more uncertain.

He is yet to activate the final year of his contract with the team, but said after the loss he “will be there” next season.

The pressure is also on head coach Doc Rivers, who was forced to answer questions about facing the sack after the game.

“I don’t worry about my job,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“I think I do a terrific job and if you don’t think that then you should write it.”

They were booed by their own fans — and the reaction on social media was even worse.

Philadelphia sports radio commentator Jon Johnson said all the team’s miserable years of tanking to get top draft picks was for nothing.

Meanwhile, Harden has also made some spectacular claims in his post-match interview.

He appeared to suggest Rivers was the reason for his second half meltdown where he took just two shots. He finished with 11 points for the game but did not score after half time.

“We run our offence, the ball just didn’t get back to me,” he said.

James Harden talks with head coach Doc Rivers. Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP

When asked if the coach runs plays to get him the ball, Harden snapped back: “Next question”.

They are the two words that should make Rivers nervous. If he in fact is, the 60-year-old isn’t showing it.

Rivers has now failed to make it past the second stage of the playoffs fin his last 10 seasons as an NBA coach.

The 76ers haven’t made it past the second round since 2001.