Celtics Turn Ben Simmons Into Internet Meme After 1-Point Performance For 76ers In Game 2
BOSTON (CBS) -- Ben Simmons is the NBA's rookie of the year, but on Thursday night at the Garden, he might have had the worst day he's ever had on a basketball court.
Simmons played 31 minutes on Thursday in a game which his 76ers led by 22 points midway through the first half. Simmons was quiet as his team built that lead, but most everyone believed the points would come for the 21-year-old.
But those points never came, and the Celtics came storming back, eventually winning 108-103 to take a 2-0 series lead. Though he did collect five rebounds and dish seven assists, Simmons finished with just one point and was a minus-23 on the night. That came on just 0-of-4 shooting. Simmons' playoff scoring average dropped from 18.2 points per game to 15.7 points per game.
(In a related story, actual rookie Jayson Tatum scored 21 points for Boston, while actual rookie Markelle Fultz did not get off the Philly bench for the second straight game.)
It was a night to forget for Simmons, but the internet did its very best to make sure that the night would be remembered forever.
(That one's a play on Wilt Chamberlain's picture after scoring 100 points in a game, for all you younguns.)
A silver lining for Simmons is that he was not the only subject of the internet's ridicule after that game, as many folks poked fun at Kevin Hart. The actor/comedian who's also a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan could be seen numerous times on the TV broadcast from his courtside seat. He was at times taunting Celtics fans around him and was demonstrative throughout the whole game.
After the Sixers lost, though? He could only be seen online.
All in all, it was a pretty terrible night for Simmons and Hart, and a pretty good showing by the always-reliable internet.
