I’m not quite sure what the right word is for what we witnessed at the end of tonight’s Game 7 between the Sixers and Raptors. The missed free throw by Kawhi Leonard, the slash to the net by Jimmy Butler that tied it up. Hope. And then __________?

Doink. Backboard. Doink. Doink. Doink. In. Season over.

I had said unbelievable as it unfolded in real time. There might have been another word or two mixed in with it, but, I mean, is this really unbelievable? Awful, yes. Unbelievable or surprising? Not so much.

Whatever the fitting description, Joel Embiid had no words in the immediate shock of Leonard’s game-winner, just tears as he headed to the locker room. You can see his raw emotion and what is sure to become a sports meme for all of eternity, after the jump:


Here’s another view, this one with Embiid and his girlfriend:

Brett Brown, who may or may not be the Sixers coach after tonight, had this to say about Embiid’s obvious devastation:

A painful life memory. That’s one way to describe it.  Get ready for a long offseason and a long Monday on the sports radio airwaves filled with “What’s the most painful Philly sports moment that made you cry?”

Should be good times.