BEN Simmons admitted that his performance in Game 2 was the worst he’d played all season, and part of his rebound effort was to talk things through with a Philadelphia 76ers legend.

Allen Iverson, one of the best and most renowned guards in the NBA’s history, had a desire to talk with Simmons after the Australian scored just one point in the 76ers’ Game 2 loss against the Boston Celtics.

So, before shootaround on Saturday (AEST), Simmons reached out to Iverson; the two guards having a fruitful chat ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

“I spoke to AI before I came here today,” Simmons said after shootaround.

”He just said, “play the game; you know how to play,” and that’s just second nature to me.

“I heard he wanted to talk to me and I got on the phone with him this morning, and spoke with him. He gave me some words of encouragement.”

Simmons refused to give the Celtics’ defensive schemes too much credit for his rough showing, instead pointing to his own mentality as a reason why he struggled throughout the night.

The 21-year-old expanded on what he meant when he said he was ‘overthinking’ on Friday.

“Just thinking too much,” Simmons laughed. “About everything, every play on the floor. I think I’m looking at it in too much detail, and not just playing.”

Despite the self-described worst game of his professional career, Simmons has still put together an impressive debut postseason.

The Melbourne-native is averaging 15.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, and is confident he’ll continue that level of play.

“I’m a very confident person every time I step on the floor, so that’s not gonna change,” Simmons said.

“It’s just the worst I played all year. That’s about it. Gotta look ahead, look forward, and get ready for tomorrow.”

Game 3 of the 76ers-Celtics series is on Sunday (AEST).

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