Philly What Ifs: The Kawhi Bounce(s)

These nights without sports have really gotten me thinking back to some major moments in our city’s sports history. One that’s obviously been on everybody’s since it happened, and especially with how this season had been going for the Sixers, is Game 7 against Toronto last year. How would the state of the franchise been different if that shot had rolled out. Would we all have been celebrating on Broad Street in June laughing at all the process haters? Or do we simply lose in overtime and end up at the same point?

That game was back and forth until the buzzer sounded. I don’t think anybody can say whether we would have won or lost that game for certain. With the way Jimmy Butler was playing late though, there’s a legit argument the Sixers take the game in overtime. Now, let’s say the Sixers pull the game out and move on to face Milwaukee. I think a lot of people would agree the Sixers matched up better against the Bucks than the Raptors, Danny Green even said it himself. Who knows what would have happened in that series and even the Finals. Maybe we’d all still be sitting here thinking about how close that 2019 team was to bringing home a ring, we’ll never know.

One major thing that could have changed over the offseason: is Jimmy Butler back? There were a lot of rumors this past summer about how and why Butler wasn’t brought back. Was he offered the max? Did he just want out? Who knows, so let’s look at it from both Butler and the Sixers perspective. Even if Milwaukee was too tough in the conference finals, that series goes to 6 or 7. Does making it within a game of the finals change Jimmy or the organizations mind? If the Sixers go on to beat Milwaukee, how can you not run it back the next year regardless of what happens in the Finals.

If Kawhi misses that shot the makeup of this years’ team could have been very different. If Jimmy came back that means Horford never comes in and robs the Sixers blind. Maybe we have a core of Ben, Joel, and Jimmy that we all can look forward to watching for the next few years. So much could have changed for this team IF that shot rolled out.