“You Want Me to Take Ben Simmons Off the Floor?” – One Observation from Sixers 104, Hawks 99

It’s Friday night and I’m sure you’re emotionally drained after watching the Sixers gut out a Game 6 win in Atlanta.

So I’ll just leave this here:

That’s the exchange I had with Doc Rivers after the Game 4 Washington loss. I asked him, politely and fairly, if he considered removing Ben Simmons in the fourth quarter in order to avoid the Hack-a-Ben routine and close the game in a more linear fashion.

Doc basically laughed at the media during that session and went on to say that Philly sports fans “don’t know basketball” or whatever that line was.

Fast forward to Game 6 in Atlanta, and what did he do? He took Ben Simmons off the floor for large chunks of the fourth quarter, inserted Tyrese Maxey, and the rookie performed admirably down the stretch en route to a five point win.

That’s it. That’s the entire recap. Sixers force Game 7. They are better than the Hawks. They showed a lot of grit and resilience to beat Atlanta and the crooked refs on Friday night . If they win at home on Sunday night they go to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Buckle up.

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