The Brooklyn Nets will travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday. Brooklyn finished the 2022-2023 season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while Philadelphia is the third seed. These teams faced each other four times in the regular-season and the 76ers won every game which could be a precursor of what to expect in the series.
In the games that gave an accurate depiction of what to expect in the series, the second and third time that these teams faced each other, it became clear what both teams will hang their hat on to compete. Philadelphia will run its offense through potential NBA MVP Joel Embiid while former league MVP James Harden does the facilitating while Brooklyn will run its offense by relying on Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie while finding ways to use its speed and athleticism on defense.
There are many factors to ponder for this series given how new the current iteration of the Nets is. To put things in perspective, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of Nets Wire collaborated with Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire to answer those questions from both sides of the matchup.
Who are the X-Factors for both teams?
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Sharif: For the 76ers, it’s Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is one of those guys that can give the Nets problems on the perimeter. No matter the roster, Brooklyn has had issues guarding on the perimeter, especially when the opponent has quick guards like Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell for example. When Maxey is flowing, you can see him lighting up the Nets in the right scenario.
For the Nets, it’s Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith has been one of those players for the Nets that when he’s on, Brooklyn is rolling. He is obviously impactful on the defensive end, but the offensive end is where he shows his impact on the team. In Brooklyn wins, Finney-Smith shoots 36.8% from three-point land, and in losses, he shoots just 30.5%.
Ky: For Philadelphia, it’s Jalen McDaniels. The Sixers made that deadline move to send out Matisse Thybulle and brought in McDaniels because they believe he is a better two-way player for the playoffs. He had a great ending to the season with his 3-point shot and now he has to bring it to the postseason.
For the Nets, I’d say Joe Harris. The last time Harris saw the playoffs, he shot just 32.7% from deep in Round 2 against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He has to shoot at least 42% from deep in this series for the Nets to have a chance for an upset.
What is the key matchup?
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Sharif: Nic Claxton vs. Joel Embiid. It’s no secret that Embiid is one of the best players in the NBA. The potential league MVP is a tough cover for anyone and as impactful as Claxton is on defense, he’s no match for Embiid in the interior. Embiid outweighs Claxton by about 65 pounds and that size differential was evident in the most recent matchup between the two teams.
Ky: Spencer Dinwiddie vs. James Harden. If Harden does not dominate this matchup as he should, then the Sixers might be in some trouble. That left Achilles injury is going to be a question throughout this postseason run and he has to be able to be effective on offense for Philadelphia and then bother Dinwiddie on the other end. It will be interesting to see if the Sixers try and The Beard on defense.
Who’s the second-best player in this matchup?
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Sharif: For the sake of argument, I’ll say Mikal Bridges. The conventional answer would be James Harden, but Bridges has been incredible in this new role for the Nets. He has shown an ability to score the basketball efficiently and he has improved his ball-handling ability to the point that he’s able to get to the rim as part of his scoring package.
Ky: For me, it’s still Harden. He isn’t the ruthless scorer he once was, but he led the league in assists while averaging 21 points a game while shooting 38.5% from deep and he can take games over still for the Sixers. The left Achilles injury could be a concern, but Philadelphia is confident that he’s ready to go. If the Achilles is an issue for Harden, then Bridges takes this spot. He’s been terrific for Brooklyn.
How do the Nets stop Joel Embiid?
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Sharif: The short answer is they don’t. Embiid is the potential league MVP because of how dominant he is inside the three-point line. Brooklyn’s only hope of stopping Embiid is running a zone defense and hoping that the rest of the 76ers cannot beat them from three-point range. Claxton is a great defender, but he is no match for Embiid, especially in the paint.
Ky: Short answer, they don’t. There really is no way to truly stop Embiid. He is a legit three-level scorer, he can take guys off the dribble, he has the skills of a guard in a 7-footer’s body, and the Nets don’t really have an able body to defend him. Brooklyn will switch a lot and guys like Finney-Smith and Bridges will end up on him at some point and that spells trouble for the Nets.
How does Philadelphia win this series?
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Sharif: With the 76ers being favored as much as they are at this point (most have them winning the series in five games), there’s probably a good amount of margin of error for them. Joel Embiid will most likely feast on the Nets because of the lack of bigs and if he does, that should be enough for Philadelphia to win the series. Even if James Harden isn’t the best version of himself, Brooklyn does not have enough star power to pull off the upset.
Ky: By dumping the ball into Embiid at the nail and then having everybody play off of him on offense. When the big fella is able to have the ball at that spot of the floor, then he is able to easily read defenses and double teams that come toward him in order to dominate. He is able to score at all three levels and make the right passes as well. Of course, there’s the pick-and-roll with Harden as well. Defensively, they need to neutralize Brooklyn’s guard play. Dinwiddie has historically hurt the Sixers with his scoring ability and his size and Bridges is going to be motivated to play against his hometown team.
How does Brooklyn win this series?
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Sharif: Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie have to be great. Bridges has to be in his best form with regards to shooting the ball, especially from 3-point land. Dinwiddie is the Nets’ best shot-creator and driver to the basket and in order for players like Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton to get quality shots, Dinwiddie has to be on point from the beginning.
Ky: If Bridges and Dinwiddie are great, then the Nets will have a shot. They will need those two to be near an All-Star level in this series while also needing Joe Harris to consistently knock down open 3s. The same goes for Finney-Smith who has to be able to provide a 3-and-D aspect for Brooklyn. The Nets are young, but they have experience. Bridges and Johnson have been to the finals while Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith have been to the Western Conference finals. They know what it takes to win in the playoffs.
Story originally appeared on Nets Wire
