I don’t know why anyone was hating on Simmons after Game 1, saying the Sixers needed to move on from him, but thank you for doing it.
Thank you for firing up Ben to go out and prove the casuals wrong. He was a menace in Game 2.
The trash Simmons was getting the last few days has been totally unnecessary. I’m convinced the people who said it didn’t even watch the game. They just checked the box score afterwards and saw the Points column. The rest of his game, however, was excellent.
He became only the sixth player ever with at least 15 rebounds and 15 assists in an NBA playoff game. He had a +/- of +18. He locked up Bradley Beal, the leading scorer in the East, showing why Simmons deserves to be defensive player of the year.
Bradley Beal on shots attempted against non-Simmons defenders on Sunday: 70.5% from the field (12/17)
Bradley Beal while defended by Simmons: 16.7% from the field (1/6)
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 24, 2021
Overall, Simmons didn’t have a legendary, remarkable performance in Game 1. It wasn’t his signature playoff moment. But, it was a GOOD game, and the Sixers wouldn’t have won without him.
All these comments made Simmons step up and prove just how strong of a player he is in Game 2. He only had to play 29 minutes because Philly pulled away, but he still finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. The all-star point guard was aggressive early and scored at will. If Washington tried to double team him, he would make the smart pass to the open man for the dime. He also played great defense like usual.
Maybe this will wake up Simmons for the rest of the playoffs and he will continue to dominate. If it does, thank you to all of the haters who caused it.
