In Game 2, Ben Simmons really struggled, scoring only one point and a big reason for that is because of the way Brad Stevens decided to coach this series.
He has made it clear with the way he has set up the Boston Celtics defense that he is going to let others beat him, but the one guy he isn't going to let beat him is Ben Simmons.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN said on The Jump that with Stevens playing him that way, he is actually giving Simmons one of the biggest compliments that he can get.
“[Brad Stevens] is paying [Ben Simmons] a compliment..I know this is a day where a lot of people are making fun of Ben, but his entire defensive scheme is about Ben Simmons..If Brad was speaking honestly right now he'd say ‘I would never get away with this game plan in a year'”
The Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers will face off again on Saturday afternoon and it will be interesting to see if Stevens changes his strategy at all. If Simmons starts to figure out how to attack the defense it will be interesting to see who Stevens tries to take away then.
If the 76ers want to come back in this series they need to find a way to get Simmons going. Some of the 76ers biggest success came this year when he drove the lane and kicked out to open shooters outside. The Celtics haven't allowed those guys to be open in this series yet, but they need to figure it out quick or they could see themselves down 3-0.
It would also likely help if Simmons at least attempted one shot from outside the paint, even if it were only for the sake of keeping the Celtics honest, and not have anything to do with it going in.
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