The Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons has had his fair share of bad games in his first year, but not as bad as his Game 2 showing against the Boston Celtics — which was undoubtedly an integral factor as to why the Sixers blew a 22-point lead that led to a 108-103 loss.
The Australian rookie only scored a single point — as a result of a split free throw, no less — and missed all four of his attempts from the field. He did grab five boards and dished seven dimes but did turn the ball over five times while doing so. He played so poorly that he spent a lot longer sitting on the bench than expected, with head coach Brett Brown opting to go with the fiery T.J. McConnell for most of the second half.
When asked by NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jessica Camerato on what the Celtics did to put the clamps on him, the 6-foot-10 playmaker deflected credit and pointed to himself as the lone reason for his poor play.
When asked what the Celtics did to hold him to one point, Ben Simmons said, “I think it was mainly what I did to myself. I think mentally, I was thinking too much, overthinking the plays and wasn’t just out there flowing and playing the way that I play, which is free.”
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) May 4, 2018
For what it is worth, the Celtics do hold the best defensive rating in the NBA (although the Sixers are not far behind at third), so it was only expected that the star point guard will be the focal point of their defensive scheme — or lack thereof if Simmons is to be believed.
Still, the 21-year-old hybrid player is having a fantastic postseason prior to last night's stinker with a double-double average of 18.2 points (on a 50 percent clip), 10 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 38.2 minutes.
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