Ben Simmons was flipped onto his upper back, slapped on the back of his head, pushed, prodded, and pulled in the 76ers’ 104-91 Game 5 victory over the Miami Heat.
But Simmons knew this game was going to be a dogfight and was locked in long before the game started.
In the locker room, an hour before tipoff, Simmons was peppered with questions about rapper Meek Mill’s release from prison and the possibility of Mill attending the game. Simmons, a longtime supporter of Mill, entertained the first couple of questions, but that was all the time he had for anything not game-related.