PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Were you really expecting a different result? A Philadelphia team in a game-7, or win or go home game against an opponent they’re heavily favored against, or supposed to easily beat. You must not be from Philadelphia if you were honestly expecting anything else. Yeah, we lucked around and won the Super Bowl a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean that our sports history has changed. What the 76ers did in this entire series with the Hawks, was exactly what Philly teams historically do…….CHOKE!

The Hawks knocked off the favorite 76ers, 103-96 on Sunday evening to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the 2nd time in the last 30 years. The Hawks were surprising led by Kevin Huerter who finished with 27 pts and 7 boards. Trae Young had 21 points and 10 assists. Danilo Gallinari had 17 points for the Hawks, but Gallinari made most of his buckets at some very crucial points in the game. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 31 points and 11 assists. Tobias Harris added 24 and 14 boards for the losers. Ben Simmons had 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists. Ben’s numbers look pretty solid on paper, but Ben Simmons played scared yesterday. I hate to have to say it, but he looked terrified of the big moment. Simmons shot a woeful 32.8% from the free throw line this series. Atlanta’s strategy of fouling Simmons to send him to the free throw line and get in his head clearly worked. It might be time to shop Ben around and see what we can get for him. Check out some of the highlights from the game below:

Video courtesy: NBA