Sixers Bulls

Sixers blow 24-point lead vs. Bulls with historic fourth quarter disasterclass

The Sixers made history tonight with one of the most egregious choke jobs the NBA has ever seen. At first, they were off to a hot start, with 75 points in the first half and a 19-point lead over the Bulls. That lead ballooned to 24 points, and that is where this story takes a dark, twisted turn.

The Sixers proceeded to blow their 24-point lead horrendously, with the offense completely falling apart for the last six minutes of the game:

I had the feeling while watching this that I’ve never seen a team blow a game this badly after looking so good to start. Based on the numbers, apparently nobody else had either.

Of course, being a Sixers fan, I’ve seen plenty of horrifically blown leads in my life. That’s what made the severity of this ordeal all the more distressing.

Tyrese Maxey was unbelievable in the first half, and Joel Embiid looked good while still on a minutes restriction. Things were going incredibly well. You have to be cooking to an insane degree for the team account to post like the game is already over three minutes into the second quarter.

Then, like we’ve seen so many times before with this franchise, the bottom fell out. The electric, high-paced offense we’ve become accustomed to ground to a screeching halt. Each failed offensive possession was a nail in the coffin of my mental well-being for the remainder of the night.

Joel Embiid went 0/5 from the field in the fourth quarter and 1/10 for the entire second half. As much as I love and defend him, it was a bad night. If you put up 21 shots in 25 minutes, you’d better make more than seven of them.

It’s still early in the year, and I swore my undying loyalty to Joel Embiid during the Statsexual Wars of the 2021 MVP race, so I’m not going to start freaking out. But it was a huge bummer to see my guy be a total zero on both ends of the floor in the second half.

Maxey, on the other hand, was phenomenal. 39 points on the night. At the same time, 6/16 in the second half did not help the cause at all. All things considered, I think he was gassed and trying to do too much.

I don’t understand how this happens to the Sixers, but it always does. NBA basketball is a volatile enterprise as a whole, but this brand of collapse is on brand for the organization.

It transcends coaches. But it’s not Joel Embiid because he’s usually the sole bright spot giving the team life during the vast majority of their high-profile collapses. It’s truly a conundrum that continues to make me feel physically ill each time it reveals itself to me once again. Gone just long enough that I hardly remember it, so it hurts the same each time.

Now, I’m stuck looking at a collapse so bad it makes 2008 look like the Roaring 20s. The Bulls led for exactly 3.2 seconds in this game. And, as you can see, those were at the very end. The final twist of the dagger lodged deep in the stomachs of Sixers fans everywhere.

But there is a silver lining in this absolute tragedy of a game. Fans care. I’m burning the midnight oil to write about how disgusted I am with this result. That shows this team is trending in the right direction.

I went into this season with no expectations, but the way this team has started the season has been so impressive that it’s pretty much dragged the fanbase back in (almost unwillingly at times).

This was a traumatic evening for Sixers fans, and obviously, there’s a lot this team can iron out, but stay tuned. We’re just scratching the surface.

Gear up in the TLL Shop

Very real and legitimate journalist. I don't see a loss on the schedule.

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