The Philadelphia 76ers no longer have Ben Simmons on the roster, but their season ended basically the same way without him a year later.
For the second consecutive year, an embattled Joel Embiid was overmatched by a deep Eastern Conference rival while his co-star was a virtual no-show when it mattered most.
Much was made of Ben Simmons not showing any form of aggression in fourth quarters of games against the Atlanta Hawks in last year's East Semis. But James Harden was his virtual doppelgänger in the Sixers' last two outings, both losses to close out the series.
James Harden has 0 points in his last two 4th quarters.
Ben Simmons had 3 points in his last two 4th quarters with the Sixers. pic.twitter.com/HrUNtzLowQ
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 13, 2022
Joel Embiid was asked about what he saw from James Harden after the game. The Sixers centerpiece was brutally honest in the initial expectation, not just by him but of a handful of hopeful Sixers fans when they traded away Ben Simmons for the former MVP:
“I think obviously, I'm sure since we got him everybody expected Houston James Harden. But that's not who he is anymore,” bared the Sixers star during the postgame presser. “He's more of a playmaker. I thought, yeah at times he could have been, well all of us, could have been more aggressive. All of us, whether it's Tyrese, Tobias, or guys coming off the bench.”
Embiid's words are a far cry from his proclamations when James Harden had just arrived and he was singing his praises. While there are a few revisions to the tale, it's the same old story for the Sixers this season.
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