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Philadelphia 76ers fans have been extra hard on Ben Simmons despite getting a 2-0 advantage over the Washington Wizards in their first round series in the NBA Playoffs. They've been heavily criticizing him, largely due to his lack of scoring. The City of Brotherly Love, huh?
Rivers already came to the defense of Simmons after his Game 1 performance. More recently, he doubled down on his protection of his young superstar, calling him a “treasure” and took a light jab at Sixers fans (via NBC Philadelphia).
Article Continues Below“Only in Philadelphia. If you guys don’t know the treasure you have by now, then shame on everyone because he’s been fantastic for us. He creates points every single night for us. When Ben was on the floor, we were really good.”
Rivers added fans shouldn't solely focus on Simmons' point production. He has only averaged 14 points in two games against the Wizards, which is obviously pedestrian considering his status. But Rivers reiterated that the only points that matter are how many they score over their opponents.
“I’m amazed that people don’t see what he does. We’re so caught up in the amount of points he scored. Does it matter if Ben had all 125? Would we be mad that Joel (Embiid) didn’t score? Who cares who scores as long as we’re scoring? When Ben plays, we score more points.”
Simmons had extra oomph in Game 2 against the Wizards, finishing with 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field, adding nine rebounds and eight assists. But judging by how harsh the Sixers fans can be, Ben Simmons might also need to stop climate change.
