The Sixers had plenty of blame to place after their embarrassing Game 5 loss to the Hawks, blowing a 26-point lead and dropping a crucial game in their second-round series.
But one good place to start? Their No. 2 All-Star basically disappearing once again on offense.
Ben Simmons is a total jigsaw puzzle to understand for basketball fans, a defensive wunderkind who doesn't know how to shoot the ball. After the Sixers' loss Wednesday night, however, his performances are getting harder and harder to defend, even for big Simmons fans.
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The 24-year-old was hearing it from national analysts after he scored just eight points and attempted just four shots while also missing 10 of 14 free throws in a make-or-break game:
But national voices crushing Simmons' game is nothing new. He's been a lightning rod for basically his whole career.
What's new is Sixers fans starting to turn on Simmons en masse as well.
Here's a sampling of some Sixers fans who were simply done with Simmons, and are thinking about an offseason trade:
And here's NBC Sports Philadelphia's Marc Jackson after the game, on Simmons' disappointing performance:
"I'll be the bad guy. Four shots, and 4-for-14 from the free throw line? That can't work for a quote superstar. A team that finished the No. 1 seed, fighting for the championship, and is a pretty good favorite to at least get to the Eastern Conference Finals. That doesn't work. Period."
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Simmons' relationship with Sixers fans has been contentious for years now, thanks in large part to his inability to develop much of anything new in his game. But if even his normal game is going to shrink in big moments?
Well, he might not be long for this city after all.