Ben Simmons' Fear of Losing Keeps Sixers Undefeated at Home

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Being on the bad side of Sixers fans is never an ideal scenario for any player. Just ask Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler, who heard loud roars of boos every time he touched the ball last weekend.

Ask Josh Richardson, who became thankful he gets to play in front of Philadelphia fans as a Sixer nowadays, rather than as a member of the Heat. And lastly, ask Ben Simmons, who admitted he has a fear of losing at home because of the crowd's reaction when it happens.

Simmons is no stranger to receiving a negative reaction from Philly fans, despite playing for the 76ers. As we know, the Sixers' point guard has received tons of criticism from the spectators, and he even told the boobirds last season to "stay on that side" when the team wins again. As expected, that riled some people up at the moment.

At the end of the day though, Sixers fans have ultimately forgiven Simmons for his comments. Some might've forgotten his bitter response towards the Philly fanbase last season -- but the All-Star point guard has seemed to have kept those moments in mind and used it as motivation.

This season, the Sixers haven't been perfect. Despite being the last undefeated team standing at a point, they did manage to drop six games on the year. One thing all of those losses have in common though, was that they occurred on the road.

At this point, the Sixers have yet to lose in front of their home crowd. As the Wells Fargo Center sells out on a nightly basis, the Sixers have been fortunate enough to host their opponents in a playoff-like atmosphere for every game so far.

For that, the Sixers have rewarded their home fans with an undefeated record in South Philly for the 2019 season. Saturday night's win over the Indiana Pacers made it nine in a row at home for the Sixers. So what offers the Sixers the extra motivation while playing at home? Ben Simmons explained it best.

"The fans. We don't want to lose in front of them. We're scared to lose in front of them." 😂

Ben Simmons with the fantastic response on why the team is undefeated at home. pic.twitter.com/wmzL5wIHsu
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) December 1, 2019

"The fans -- we don't want to lose in front of them," Simmons said to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Serena Winters following the game. "We're scared to lose in front of them."

While Simmons was obviously joking, he did make it clear before on multiple occasions that he does get bothered when the fans go against the home team. All in all, though, there are never actually any hard feelings. Because when it's all said and done, Simmons views Philly fans as the best in the NBA.

"The Sixers -- we have the best fans in the NBA," Simmons said during his postgame press conference. "I'm not being biased or anything. You go anywhere else and there's no atmosphere like it. So we want to give everything we have to our city and it's a big responsibility."

Saturday's matchup with the Pacers created a close call, as the Sixers trailed during the final seconds of the game. Fortunately, though, the motivated Ben Simmons snagged three steals on the final three defensive possessions to ensure the Pacers didn't tie it up, or even worse -- take the lead. While Simmons and his teammates executed and got the job done, Sixers fans can absolutely take credit for the motivation.