After 12 years in the NBA, one thing has shown to be consistently true about Philadelphia 76ers wing Danny Green — he’s a winner. Before coming to Philly last year, Green had captured consecutive championship rings with the Toronto Raptors and LA Lakers. And he already had another ring in tow from the San Antonio Spurs’ title run in 2014.
Green was never the star, of course, but his efforts on both sides of the ball always played a key role in his team’s success. However, during the Sixers’ big bout with the Brooklyn Nets, the usually dependable Green hit the total opposite end of the spectrum.
With the Sixers needing to dig deep to preserve a late-game lead, the 34-year-old was decidedly anti-clutch.
At the 3:19 mark of the fourth quarter with Philly clinging to a 108-104 advantage, Green air-balled a three-point shot. Just over a minute later, he did so a second time and the Nets’ Patty Mills subsequently trimmed the lead to just two points. On Philly’s next possession, Green hit the hat trick when he missed everything on an attempt from the corner.
One minute and 40 seconds of game time later, the Sixers were 114-109 losers. And Sixers Twitter promptly lost their stuff on the cagey vet.
Green’s Twitter Beatdown
For all the good Green has done on the hardwood for the Sixers, his clutch failings since joining the team are actually nothing new. Last season, he connected on just 31.0% of his shot attempts — and 28.0% from three — during the last five minutes of games with a differential of five points or less.
His performance against the Nets may have been the most glaring example of not coming through in the clutch to date, though. Consequently, the fans at Wells Fargo Center had no qualms about booing him for his airball trifecta. And the Twitter response was even more harsh.
“Danny Green had money on the Nets tonight and the NBA needs to investigate,” tweeted one fan.
“Danny Green just shot back to back airballs with so much confidence he should retire with all due respect,” wrote another respondent.
“Danny Green is shooting like he wants to take some pressure off of Ben Simmons,” joked The Ringer’s Dan Devine.
Meanwhile, the folks over at Barstool Philly indicated that they would be “waking up in a cold sweat tonight thinking about Danny Green.”
Among the myriad of other tweets on the matter, there was also this gem:
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Competing Without Simmons
One of the biggest questions facing the Sixers this season is whether or not they can still be considered one of the NBA’s elite squads without Ben Simmons in the fold. And through 1¾ games, they were making a strong case for inclusion at the cool kids’ table.
However, their late-game implosion against one of the East’s best in the Nets feels like ammo in the chamber for naysayers. And impressive though their opening-night victory was, it came against a New Orleans Pelicans team that was without Zion Williamson.
While a one-game sample size against a chief rival doesn’t even approach the data needed to make a real determination on the Simmons-less Sixers, the team’s performance in 2020-21 sans Simmons doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. In the 14 games that Philly was without the three-time All-Star last season, the team logged a 7-7 record.
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