The NBA is a league filled with some of the most physically gifted human beings on the planet. But we’re not always focused on their competition. It’s a league with quality (and petty) gossip churn that rivals any of its on-court play.
In the first instance since his unceremonious trade from the 76ers, Ben Simmons made his return to Philadelphia–as a member of the Brooklyn Nets (+4.5 underdogs). Let’s say it was a city not willing to afford him any brotherly love.
Which, honestly, we should’ve seen this awkward night coming. An evening of unresolved bad blood, poor communication, and (perceived?) disrespect probably should’ve been a prerequisite for Ben Simmons Night in Philly.
Kevin Durant and James Harden didn’t acknowledge each other in warmups. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid didn’t either.
Give me seven games, please.
— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) March 11, 2022
The competition, fortunately, did not take a backseat to the drama.
The new-look (sans Simmons) Nets beat the new-look 76ers with James Harden. Oh, am I leaving some vital information out? My bad.
The new-look Nets drubbed the new-look 76ers, 129-100, humiliating them in the biggest game in Philadelphia all season. It was never particularly close. The Nets basically made every shot they took, or at least it felt that way. Meanwhile, the 76ers, in what has been a common theme for them in recent years, struggled to stand up on their own two legs like a cartoon deer in a burning forest.
What was even more notable was who failed to step up for Philadelphia. It couldn’t have been Joel Embiid, a prime MVP candidate, who added his usual high-end double-double. No one in the league has an answer for him, and no one will when the playoffs start. No way. He steps up when his team needs him to! He could never wilt under the spotlight.
Gasp: It was James Harden! Harden, succumbing to the pressure? That has never happened before, and will never happen again. If Harden wasn’t nervous about playing against his (former?) friend in Kevin Durant, he did a terrible job of showing it.
Eleven points, six rebounds, five assists. Harden had to have been hurt, right? That’s the only explanation.
(Loud and muffled yelling in earpiece)
https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1502114021553491971?s=20&t=aVcQ3cJJwmCJLj2KGBHoBw
Three-of-17 shooting? THREE-OF-17??? I’m aghast, Dear Reader. Simmons didn’t even play! The Nets weren’t even at full strength and, based on his history with the Thunder, Rockets, and yes, Nets, Harden played like it was a second-round playoff game.
Ask the Philadelphia faithful: Ben Simmons Night is a second-round playoff game, and they expect better.
The situation became so dire for Harden and the 76ers that they decided to wave the white flag–with an entire quarter to go.
The Sixers starters didn’t take a single shot in tonight’s fourth quarter.
A touching tribute to Ben Simmons in his return to Philly. pic.twitter.com/bdwL7qxSlq
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 11, 2022
I don’t know what the future holds for the Embiid-Harden 76ers or the Durant-Simmons (eventually) Nets. Even still, on a night that was supposed to be a statement for Philadelphia, Harden’s performance is disconcerting.
But there is a consolation. If these Nets and these 76ers meet in the postseason, both fanbases can take solace in Simmons potentially dragging Brooklyn down in clutch moments the way Harden might drag Philadelphia down.
And isn’t that sort of silly schadenfreude what the NBA’s all about?
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