‘His winning formula is great’

As Friday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers progressed, Ben Simmons was nowhere to be seen. By three-quarters, Simmons had eight assists, but only four points on just three shots, and he looked well on his way to a fifth game in a row with one-digit shot attempts in a continuation of what was a quiet start to this season.

But when Boston cut Philadelphia’s lead back to four in the middle of the fourth quarter and threatened to potentially steal the second half of these two-game series between these rivals, Simmons came on the scene.

He fought on the attack glass to score his own miss. He dashed off the track for a bucket. He got a pass on the open field, one he took the other way for a dunk – and that was immediately followed by a timeout from Celtics coach Brad Stevens.

In the space of 36 seconds, the game went from a toss-up to a match that would clearly end with a Sixers victory. That piece, the key segment in Philadelphia’s 122-110 win, reminded us how impactful Simmons can be – and that moments like that weren’t that common to start this season.

“It’s been good,” said Simmons after finishing with 15 points – 11 in the fourth quarter – and 11 assists, when asked how he felt about this season and if he had heard the criticism of his start. “It’s a new season. I’m just focusing on winning and doing what I can to win with this team. I think it’s been good.”

“I’m not going to Instagram, I’m not going to Twitter, so I can’t really answer the questions in terms of what people are saying because, frankly, I don’t give f —. But unless [head coach] Doc [Rivers] says something, or [assistant coach] Sam [Cassell], or people come to me, it’s a different story.

“But I’m trying to win games, so we’re all here to win.”

It was a strange start to the season for the Sixers. They have the Eastern Conference’s best record, at 11-5, but feast on a soft schedule early on before gobbling up the past two weeks as first the Sixers had several players missing due to NBA health and safety protocols, followed by four play matches against Miami Heat and Celtics squads who were exhausted for the same reason.

Joel Embiid has arguably been the NBA’s MVP for the first month of the season, and he followed up his 42-point performance Wednesday with a 38-point burst on Friday evening, pitching one more time to Marcus Smart of the Celtics as he frustrated by his bad drawing in Wednesday night’s game.

“I knew they got into the game, after they complained, I knew the supervisor, you know, was going to be a little bit tight for us, and I think it’s better for them,” Embiid said after he left 15 free throws on Friday night. compared to 21 in Wednesday’s win.

Tobias Harris, meanwhile, looked like the player he was when he played for Rivers with the LA Clippers – the ones who paid the Sixers a hefty price to trade two years ago, then paid $ 180 million to keep in five years. as a free agent. Harris shot 10-for-12 and scored 23 points on Friday, after scoring 22 points on Wednesday. And the moves the Sixers have made to better balance the squad, exchanging Al Horford and Josh Richardson for Danny Green and Seth Curry respectively, have gone as well as they hoped.

But for this team to be the champion contender it aspires to, the Sixers need the version of Simmons that took over for that 36-second piece in the fourth quarter – a version that those who watched the Sixers have been waiting for more. appear. often than it has.

Much thought has gone into shooting Simmons – or lack thereof – from a 3-point range. But what stood out about the plays he made in the fourth quarter was his aggression. In nine of his 14 games this season, Simmons hasn’t taken 10 shots, and his points per game, shots per game, field goal percentage, and usage rate have all dropped this season.

Still, he said he is quite happy with his role.

“Yes, [I am]’, he said.’ It’s unique and different. Not many guys can do what I do. I go to the edge, score, rebound and facilitate, then get defensive stops. Not many players in the NBA do that. It is rare.

“So I’m going to continue to grow my game and get better for my team. But in the end I just want to win. And I have to do that, whether it’s 10 steals and no points, no rebounds and 50 helps, whatever it is. also is, I’m going to do. “

No one would argue that Simmons’ skills are rare. He’s listed at 1.85 meters and 240 pounds, but is often the fastest player and best passer on the field – not to mention being able to guard just about anyone, as he did on Friday when switching between the small and shrewd Kemba. Walker and Jaylen Brown, one of the most athletic wingers in the league.

But it is precisely because he has so many skills that he draws so much attention to his game when he doesn’t make the kind of impact he did in Q4 on Friday night. Simmons ‘quiet nights offensive this season have been noticed by scout opponents, and it so happened that it’s been a regular topic of discussion that Rivers has had to cover several times this season – especially as Simmons’ potential as a James Harden centerpiece trade was above the franchise.

“He didn’t do it until the end of tonight’s game, but he was already playing great,” said Rivers. And that’s the point I’m trying to make to everyone. He’s doing so many things for this team. His winning formula is great in all things. He got no credit last night.

“He was so important to why we won that game with all the things he does, the little cuts, the little picks, the rolls and passes. Ben does a lot, so he can’t focus on one thing. “Just scored, he’s too good for me. It would be a shame if that’s all we focus on for him.”

But to get the Sixers out of the Eastern Conference, they need it. The Celtics fell short in both games this week, but were competitive with Jayson Tatum sitting out for health and safety protocols, and with Kemba Walker still playing on a minute limit. The Milwaukee Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league’s two-time reigning MVP, along with All-Stars Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. The Miami Heat have returned almost their entire team from the group that won the East last year.

Oh, and then there’s that Interstate 95 team in Brooklyn that just happened to swap for Harden last week and already had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at their disposal.

Still, there is plenty of time to learn these Sixers, and there are reasons for optimism. Embiid and Simmons both spoke about their growing relationship in court on Friday. The fact that Harden has been traded and the potential for him to make it to Philadelphia is gone takes away another distraction. And now that they finally have their full player base back after getting Curry back on Friday night, Embiid spoke after the game about the Sixers’ desire to engage in a winning streak.

However, the likelihood of that happening will only increase if Simmons can string together a series of games full of stretches, like that 36-second period that confirmed the outcome of Friday’s game.

“I like to play with him,” said Embiid. “That fourth quarter starts at the defensive end, and he was a monster. He got a lot of stealing, and then he attacked the pick and roll half lane, he was aggressive and made plays, he scored a few baskets.

‘He was huge tonight. He was huge tonight. ‘