Car Wrecks
Which of these eye-popping, shocking and breathtaking Sixers collapse stats is the most embarrassing?
The first half of Game 5 of the Philadelphia 76ers-Atlanta Hawks series felt not quite like a coronation, but a neck-stomping of epic proportions. When the buzzer sounded it was 62-40 in favor of Philly, a game that was basically over barring a collapse that would make the Atlanta Falcons proud. Sixers were essentially already up 3-2 in the series, and there was little doubt that they'd close it out in six or, at worst, finish them off with ease in seven.
Then, the Atlanta Falcons-esque collapse happened, and to a team an Atlanta team was playing against! In one of the great reversals of fortune you'll ever see, the Hawks erased the 22-point halftime deficit, winning 109-106 and taking a 3-2 series lead back home to "The A." Naturally, as with any great collapse, the collaps-ian stats are rolling in, including everybody's favorite: WIN PROBABILITY!
Oh, that's right, the Sixers choked in Game 4, too. But you probably already knew that. It still bears repeating, though, that they blew CONSECUTIVE 18-point leads in the playoffs. They could very easily be resting up for the winner of Nets-Bucks right now, and instead they are headed back to Atlanta facing elimination. Trust the process, though.
But wait, there's more!
It gets far worse when you see the more player-specific stats, like this one about the Sixers' scoring in the second half, which was only done by two players. No, seriously:
To be more specific, Joel Embiid and Seth Curry were the only two to score a field goal in the second half. Other players, like Ben Simmons, made free throws, but that's it. We should point out that Simmons only made two of his six free throws in the second half, and the Sixers lost by four. YIKES:
This one you're about to see is my favorite. Shaquille O'Neal, believed to be the worst free throw shooter ever, or at least the guy with the ugliest free throw stroke ever, was a better free throw shooter in the playoffs than Simmons is this year:
Wait... the hits just keep on comin':
OK, that's enough. Pray 4 Philly, folks.