Chapter 387: Embiid Brought to Tears.
"Stay locked in! We're still up! One stop, and we take this game!"
Jimmy Butler's voice cut through the tension as the Sixers huddled during the timeout.
Just moments ago, Ben Simmons had made an unthinkable decision—passing up a wide-open layup with the game on the line. The entire Wells Fargo Center had gasped in disbelief. The momentum, the energy, the confidence Philly had built all night? Gone in an instant.
The Sixers' bench looked shell-shocked, their morale plummeting like a rock. It felt like they were back in that disastrous practice session, shaken, defeated, unsure if they even belonged in this fight.
Joel Embiid rose to his feet beside Butler, his voice equally firm.
"One stop," he repeated. "We can't let everything we've worked for go to waste. Put everything on the line. DEFENSE!"
Their two leaders had spoken.
The rest of the team, visibly shaken from Simmons' blunder, started to shake off their doubts.
As the timeout ended, Embiid found Simmons and patted his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up. We still got a chance."
Simmons, clearly moved by the gesture, nodded weakly.
Deep down, even he wasn't sure why he passed up that shot.