Ben Simmons was 'Hurt' Watching 76ers get Swept by Celtics

Heading into the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers were missing a key piece to their team. Third-year All-Star Ben Simmons was back in Philly watching his team take on the Boston Celtics in the postseason.

Although Simmons was initially in Orlando, Florida, down in the NBA's bubble during the restart of the season, he had to leave early in order to get his knee surgically repaired. During the second half of the Sixers' third seeding game weeks ago, Simmons suffered from a subluxation in his left kneecap.

At first, Simmons' injury had him listed as day-to-day, which was a good sign as his team could've used his services in the playoffs. In a matter of a few days, though, Simmons and the Sixers decided surgery would be best. At that point, it became clear that Simmons' season was over.

So instead of being with his team down in Orlando, Simmons had to watch the Sixers' playoff series on TV just like everybody else. And as Simmons watched his Sixers struggle even to pick up a single win against Boston in the first series, the young forward admits it was tough to see it all unfold.

"Watching my team get swept hurt," Simmons tweeted early on Monday morning following the loss. "I don't ever want to feel that way again." On Sunday, the Sixers took their fourth-straight postseason loss and became the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs down in the bubble. It was the first time the Sixers got swept since 1999.

There's nothing that Ben Simmons can do about his team losing the way they did, considering his setback was uncontrollable. But it seems the young forward is using his team's failure to overcome the Celtics in the postseason this year as motivation moving forward, which is a good sign for Philly's future. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_