In Defense Of Ben Simmons: The Sixers Are Still Contenders

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Two weeks ago, legendary former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel responded to a fan on Twitter who claimed that Manuel was the reason the heavily favored Phillies didn't win the 2011 World Series. Manuel, the fan argued, should have rested his stars and intentionally lost the final series of the regular season against the Atlanta Braves, which would have prevented the red hot St. Louis Cardinals — who would go on to upset the Phils and win the World Series — from getting into the postseason.

"Losing on purpose isn’t a thing," Manuel responded. "I play to win EVERY game. Winners pursue excellence over success. Champions not scared to play anybody. Glad you weren’t on our team."

What gets lost in the babble of regrets, should ofs, and could ofs following the Sixers painful early playoff exit — perhaps the most shocking and painful Philadelphia postseason defeat since 2011 — is that the world of athletics is really two universes: players and coaches in one, and fans, gamblers, fantasy addicts, commentators, and hot takers in the other.

There's a reason, after all, that Shaquille O'Neal and his "I'd beat his (expletive)" comments about Ben Simmons are confined to the comfort of the broadcast booth peanut gallery, and Doc Rivers and his relentless "I believe in Ben Simmons" doctrine is courtside, leading soldiers into war.

Why sportswriters or analysts are taking stock in what O'Neal would do to Simmons in the locker room — the same Shaq who nearly tore apart the Lakers due to acrimony with Kobe Bryant — is beyond reason.

That Simmons' struggles were a contributing factor in the first-seeded Sixers defeat at the hands of the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks is hardly up for debate. The three-time All Star underperformed offensively and was inarguably skittish about driving to the net, for fear that his greatest weakness, free throw shooting, would continue to be exposed.

An aggressive and intelligent defensive strategy limiting one player in a handful of games is nothing new. It happens in every series. Simmons scoring 6 points instead of 12 was not the reason the Sixers lost to the Hawks. It's simply a memorable image of defeat, the same way that Ryan Howard tearing his achilles tendon as he made the final out of the 2011 postseason is forever etched in the memories of Phillies fans.

But the Sixers had a thousand chances. They led by huge amounts in both games 4 and 5, only to collapse late. That was the series right there. Embiid was dominant, but after being injured the week before, could he really be said to be at one hundred percent? Then there's the matter of the red-hot Hawks, who, just like those 2011 Cardinals, played at an elite level in the second half of the season. The Hawks finished the 2021 season 26-11. The Sixers record in the final 37 games?

26-11.

Statistics are among the nuances to which this other universe of Internet-trolls-by-another-name is blind. And while the craze of fandom and drive to score a hot take fuels this senseless myopia, the truth is that there were six or seven teams across the NBA this year that were truly elite. There are every year. The Sixers have been among that vaunted group of title contenders for four years now, in large part due to Simmons. For four years, Philadelphia fans have gotten to watch a contender. And while athletes and coaches must have the mindset of championship or bust, the 700 level watching from worlds away has no such leg to stand on.

And let's not forget the most important argument in favor of Simmons: they would not have earned the first seed in the Eastern Conference without him. The Sixers were 49-23 this year. And all metrics support the fact that this Simmons-led Sixers offense was among the greatest Sixers offenses of all-time: their average points per game, coupled with their Simple Rating System score (which averages point differential and strength of schedule), bested every team in franchise history save for the Julius Erving era in the early 1980s. Needless to say, 2021 was no fluke, Simmons was a huge part of it, and the Sixers will be championship contenders again in 2022 if he remains at the helm.

Doubtlessly there is room for Simmons to improve. He is a nontraditional player, in that his impacts are made across the game: he rebounds, he passes, he steals, he blocks. Usually, he scores. A single player's single weakness being exploited is not enough to dash a championship team's hopes. If 2021 was destined to be the Sixers year, they would've have figured out a way to rise above a few missed free throws. 2022 could very well be their year, as long as Twitter users aren't making front office decisions.