Sixers Game 4 observations: Ben Simmons not responsible for loss

The Philadelphia 76ers lost Game 4 to the Washington Wizards, an outcome very few expected after dominating the first three games. While Joel Embiid‘s injury is the only real takeaway from that game, many have jumped on Ben Simmons for his uneven free-throw shooting down the stretch.

Naturally, people have overreacted quite a bit to a game the Sixers could have and should have won. Regardless of Embiid’s immediate status, Philadelphia will enter Game 5 at home as the favorite — with a full-capacity crowd behind it. The Sixers, barring an act of divine intervention, will not lose this series.

Here are some takeaways from the game.

Sixers observations from Game 4: Joel Embiid’s injury is all that matters

I’ve already written about this topic but it bears repeating. We can squabble about Doc Rivers’ rotation choices down the stretch, and whether or not Hack-a-Ben is a problem, whatever — none of it really matters if Embiid is on the floor, and none of it matters if Embiid is off the floor moving forward.

Sixer fans should kneel at the alter and pray for a clean MRI. That is the one true takeaway from Game 4.