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  6. article_body => "<p>CAMDEN, N.J. \u2014 After the worst performance of his rookie season, Ben Simmons insisted he\u2019s not short on confidence. Friday, he talked with one of the more confident players to ever wear a Sixers uniform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spoke to A.I. before I came in here today,\u201d Simmons said after practice. \u201cHe just told me, play the game I know how to play. And that\u2019s just second nature to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simmons said Allen Iverson wanted to talk with him after his dismal, one-point effort in Game 2 against the Celtics. The rookie has said he admired Iverson growing up and had a poster of the Sixers\u2019 legend in his room, while Iverson has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/the700level\/allen-iverson-raves-about-ben-simmons-playing-beyond-his-years\" target=\"_blank\">raved about Simmons<\/a> and hasn\u2019t been shy about sharing advice with his \u201clittle dudes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Simmons sees it, the keys to bouncing back are&nbsp;pretty simple \u2014&nbsp;it\u2019s all about him playing his game&nbsp;and not overthinking, which he mentioned was a problem Thursday night <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/76ers\/ben-simmons-finally-looks-rookie-sixers-game-2-collapse-boston-celtics\" target=\"_blank\">(<em>see story)<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think just thinking too much about everything, every play on the floor,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cI think I\u2019m looking at it with too much detail and not just playing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, what caused Simmons to overthink in Game 2? Was it the Celtics\u2019 defensive speed?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n<p>Did Boston\u2019s physicality bother him?<br><br>\u201cNo,\u201d he said again, this time with a smile and a shake of the head.<\/p>\n<p>According to Simmons, the Celtics are \u201cjust loading the paint, which means somebody\u2019s gotta be open. So we need to move the ball quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coach Brett Brown also said the Celtics aren\u2019t doing anything exotic, just executing the standard strategy of sagging off Simmons at a high level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they are doing is taking what the league did all year, but just doing it really well,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThey\u2019re a disciplined team. \u2026 They really have individual defensive pieces that are exceptional. We\u2019re seeing a wall. Early in [LeBron James'] days, that was all he saw. You\u2019re going to live with a pull-up, not a layup, and you\u2019re going to see five jerseys and five sets of numbers. And I think that the Celtics are doing a really good job in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One edge the Celtics have over most teams defensively when guarding Simmons is their ability to cross-match effectively in transition. Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford \u2014&nbsp;whoever the Celtics throw on Simmons is capable of defending him and stymying any fast-break opportunities. The first two games of this series have been played at a 97.12 pace, well below both the Sixers\u2019 102.2 regular-season average and their 102.99 average during the first round against Miami.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they\u2019ve really been locked into me going to the boards and getting out early, so I think I just need to be a little quicker, kick the ball ahead maybe or be the first one down the floor and get somebody to throw the ball to me,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cHowever it is, we've just got to&nbsp;get it done tomorrow, and take it day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n"
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76ers

76ers

CAMDEN, N.J. — After the worst performance of his rookie season, Ben Simmons insisted he’s not short on confidence. Friday, he talked with one of the more confident players to ever wear a Sixers uniform.

“I spoke to A.I. before I came in here today,” Simmons said after practice. “He just told me, play the game I know how to play. And that’s just second nature to me.”

Simmons said Allen Iverson wanted to talk with him after his dismal, one-point effort in Game 2 against the Celtics. The rookie has said he admired Iverson growing up and had a poster of the Sixers’ legend in his room, while Iverson has raved about Simmons and hasn’t been shy about sharing advice with his “little dudes.”

As Simmons sees it, the keys to bouncing back are pretty simple — it’s all about him playing his game and not overthinking, which he mentioned was a problem Thursday night (see story).

“I think just thinking too much about everything, every play on the floor,” Simmons said. “I think I’m looking at it with too much detail and not just playing.”

So, what caused Simmons to overthink in Game 2? Was it the Celtics’ defensive speed?

“No,” Simmons said.

Did Boston’s physicality bother him?

“No,” he said again, this time with a smile and a shake of the head.

 

According to Simmons, the Celtics are “just loading the paint, which means somebody’s gotta be open. So we need to move the ball quicker.”

Coach Brett Brown also said the Celtics aren’t doing anything exotic, just executing the standard strategy of sagging off Simmons at a high level.

“What they are doing is taking what the league did all year, but just doing it really well,” Brown said. “They’re a disciplined team. … They really have individual defensive pieces that are exceptional. We’re seeing a wall. Early in [LeBron James'] days, that was all he saw. You’re going to live with a pull-up, not a layup, and you’re going to see five jerseys and five sets of numbers. And I think that the Celtics are doing a really good job in that regard.”

One edge the Celtics have over most teams defensively when guarding Simmons is their ability to cross-match effectively in transition. Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford — whoever the Celtics throw on Simmons is capable of defending him and stymying any fast-break opportunities. The first two games of this series have been played at a 97.12 pace, well below both the Sixers’ 102.2 regular-season average and their 102.99 average during the first round against Miami.

“I think they’ve really been locked into me going to the boards and getting out early, so I think I just need to be a little quicker, kick the ball ahead maybe or be the first one down the floor and get somebody to throw the ball to me,” Simmons said. “However it is, we've just got to get it done tomorrow, and take it day by day.”