When the Philadelphia 76er’s Ben Simmons passed up an open dunk under the basket with 3:29 to play in Game 7 of Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal, some saw it as simply the most egregious example of how the $30.5 million All-Star guard had become afraid to shoot when his team needed him most. During Philadelphia’s seven-game series with Atlanta, Simmons failed to take a fourth-quarter shot in five of the seven games and became a late-game liability by shooting a dismal 15-for-45 at the foul line.
It’s Never Too Early To Get The Sticky Stuff Out Of Our Lives
When I was an associate editor at Sports Illustrated, I was part of the team that covered the steroid scandal that was ruining Major League Baseball as a generation of batters who, only a few years earlier, had normally athletic bodies transformed themselves into hulks and began annihilating the home run record books. They weren’t just hitting more homers, they were belting them into different zip codes. That there was a problem in baseball was not up for debate, for all we had to do was witness the remarkable speed with which players acquired their bulging, Popeye-like forearms. I felt it was important to shine light, because I loved the game and still do. But it was painful.