Matisse Thybulle: 'I Lost Us The Game, Which Lost Us The Series, and Nobody Really Spoke About It'
Philadelphia’s Matisse Thybulle today appeared on JJ Redick’s “Old Man and the Three” podcast and had some interesting things to say about the Ben Simmons situation and what went down after the end of the Hawks series.
Thybulle stuck up for Simmons and the hate he received from media and fans, noting Simmons received an inordinate amount of criticism for the game 7 loss. Thybulle most fans and the media forget that he was the one who made the final foul against the Hawks in game 7 that put them ahead and eventually won Atlanta the game.
#Sixers Matisse Thybulle on @OldManAndThree discussed his thoughts on Ben Simmons and the game 7 lose:
“He (Ben) was thrown under the bus. They wanted to talk about passing up the dunk and passing it to me more then my foul.”#MatisseThybulle | #JJRedick#NBA | #BenSimmons pic.twitter.com/hyASmldQi6
— Justin Persicketti (@j_persicketti) September 24, 2021
“There’s a lot to be said. To the last point you just made, that he was thrown under the bus. You asked me if I’ve been booed or if people have been mad at me. I made the foul that lost us the last game and I received almost, there’s a little bit on twitter, but the Ben hate was so much louder. To build the frame of reference, I lost us the game, which lost us the series and no one really spoke about it. They want to talk about passing up the dunk and passing it to me more than my foul,” Thybulle said on the podcast.
Both Ben Simmons and the 76ers have played an equal part in where the point guard stands now with the team, but as a human being it’s hard to see his teammate go through such a difficult experience, Thybulle said.
“On a human level, as a teammate, as a friend, you hate to see people put in this situation that is so heavily covered by the media, because people lose sight of the human aspect of all of us as athletes. Especially in these times, especially in controversial times where we’re look at as a commodity. I don’t know what exactly people consider us in these moments, but it’s not as humans. On a personal level I really do feel for him, because this would suck for anybody.”
Check out the episode for more of Thybulle’s comments on Simmons and the upcoming season.