The Philadelphia 76ers came up with a huge victory on Thursday as they kept their season alive by beating the Toronto Raptors, 112-101, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup.
Sixers star Ben Simmons finally had a noteworthy performance in the series, as he logged a series-high 21 points (on 9-of-13 shooting), eight rebounds, six assists, and no turnovers in 34 minutes of play. He has previously been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism for his lackluster play, but the 22-year-old explained why this has had no effect on him.
“People are going to do it regardless, so I’m not really concerned,” Simmons said as he walked toward the arena’s players’ exit late Thursday night, via Mike Sielski of The Inquirer. “I don’t listen to what’s going on. I’m just really focused on what’s happening with my team and everybody around my family. Everything else is outside noise.”
It's hard not to get affected by all the criticism, but according to Simmons, this is what he has been trying to do throughout the playoffs.
Simmons has left a lot to be desired in his performances in the second round against the Raptors, with the reigning Rookie of the Year averaging just 9.4 points in the previous five games. This is a far cry from his 17.2-point average from the first round against the Brooklyn Nets as well as from his season average of 16.9 points per contest.
Simmons does do a lot of other things for his team aside from putting the ball in the basket, but it is without question that the Sixers need his scoring. The pivotal Game 7 will be on Sunday night, and Simmons will definitely want to build on the momentum of his tremendous Game 6 performance in what should be an all-out war.
