Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons just saved Brett Brown’s job

After underperforming on the series, Ben Simmons’ dominant efforts in Game 6 saved the Philadelphia 76ers’ season and Brett Brown’s job.

And just like that, the Philadelphia 76ers live to fight another day.

With their backs against the wall, the underdog Sixers fought their way back from a 3-2 deficit to take their series against the Toronto Raptors to three-all, and thankfully, it was a team effort.

From Joel Embiid‘s revived dominance following a string of injuries, illnesses, and infection, to the return of premium Hive Mike Scott, Sixers fans should be incredibly proud of the ‘Philly Tuffness’ their hometown club displayed for the world to see.

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But really, no one was more paramount to the win than Ben Simmons.

After being trashed for a lack of effort across the board by fans, critics, and pundits alike, with some even going so far as to suggest that the team should trade the 22-year-old supersized point guard (come on Jalen Rose), Simmons came out swinging from the opening tip; attacking the basket like a man on fire.

Putting up his first 20-plus point performance since April 18th against the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons took over the game at both ends of the court and finally subbed out his typically soft-spoken demeanor for a certified ‘killer’ mentality.

And most importantly; Simmons may have singlehandedly saved Brett Brown‘s job.

That’s right, after some openly questioned whether or not the organization would move on from their head coach if he didn’t get his team out of the Eastern Conference semifinals, it looked like Brown had finally silenced the doubters with a pair of solid, potentially series-ending wins over Toronto.

Brown’s coaching prowess was so impressive that Monty Williams, the team’s presumed coach-in-waiting actually accepted his next head coaching gig with the Phoenix Suns, all but ending the speculation around the team’s coaching future.

Well, at least until Game 5.

After showcasing one of the ugliest losses in franchise history, giving the edge back to Toronto and erasing any leeway the team had left, Brown’s squad came back to the Wells Fargo Center with more questions than answers; underdogs on their home court.

With his ability to develop players publicly called into question, which seems crazy for die-hard ‘Process’ fans, Brown’s squad came out ready to rock, with a plan that actually worked.

With Simmons back to playing a more active, point guard-y role, a big change from the less-involved, off-ball small forward he’d been relegated to for most of the series, the 76ers played to their strengths, and off the crowd’s energy; showing the world once and for all that this team’s performance is no fluke.

Have the Sixers underperformed based on the sheer level of talent they have on their roster? Sure, but a lot of that has to do with the starting five’s lack of combined time on the court together, only logging 161 combined minutes in 10 games over the entirety of the regular season.

Since then, the Sixers’ starting five has almost doubled that margin, playing 145 additional minutes together over the last 10 games, excluding Embiid’s absentee Game 3 in Brooklyn.

Will the Philadelphia 76ers pull out this series, and ultimately face off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals? Only time will tell, but after a quiet start to the series, Ben Simmons’ resurgent Game 6 performance has very much saved the Philadelphia 76ers’ season and Brett Brown’s job.