The NBA Playoffs are only two weeks away and the Nets remain a scrappy bunch, in decent position to avoid the Play-In Tournament. While the 76ers appear to be their likeliest opponent, there are still games to be played and the standings aren’t set in stone.
Here are Brooklyn’s potential first-round matchups and how they measure up to each one.
Philadelphia 76ers
These two teams are likely to revisit their 2019 meeting in the first round, now with radically different rosters and some added history. James Harden faces the Nets just over a year removed from playing for them, barring Philadelphia moving 2.5 games in either direction or Brooklyn slipping into the Play-In Tournament.
The 76ers are 3-0 in the season series with one game remaining, but only one of those wins coming against the post-Kevin Durant Nets, by just three points. Still, there are some things to glean from the regular season.
First, there’s no real answer for Joel Embiid. The potential MVP put up numbers against the Nets this season, especially in his lone match-up with their latest iteration.
As quick and lengthy as the new lineup is, they’re short in some of the size Durant brought to the frontcourt. They’ll have to really collapse on the big man and hope the other Sixers can’t make them pay.
Nic Claxton doesn’t have the strength to deal with Embiid one-on-one, despite his otherwise tremendous defensive season. He’ll have to do his best to make the star work.
The biggest question for Brooklyn in the playoffs is how they’re going to generate offense. It’s been up and down to say the least, ranked in the bottom third of the league since the trade deadline.
The Nets quite simply need someone to step up their offensive creation to beat anybody, let alone a top tier contender like the Sixers, in a series. Spencer Dinwiddie hasn’t been on point in his second go-around in Brooklyn, he’d be a nice place to start against a Philly backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and Harden.
Maybe it’ll be a flier like Cam Thomas or Seth Curry, but it needs to come from somewhere. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson have been great, but can’t be expected to be leading-scorers-on-a-playoff-team great.
Unfortunately, the talent and chemistry gap here is scary. This Nets team will have to find some recipe to catch the 76ers off guard.
Maybe they turn to a super small lineup with Dorian Finney-Smith at the center, their two young wings, Joe Harris and Royce O’Neal to switch everything and try and stretch Philly’s defense out to their limits. It’ll have to be something wild of that nature, or perfect execution, if Brooklyn wants to compete with the 76ers over six or seven games.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The rest of these teams are highly unlikely to face Brooklyn. In Cleveland’s case, it would take the Nets making up 2.5 games on the Knicks to move into the fifth seed.
Still, it’s worth mentioning Brooklyn is 0-2 against Cleveland since the revamp. The good news is both were close games, the bad news is the Cavaliers arguably employ the three best players in this series.
The Nets have a lot of strong individual defenders to throw at Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. They’re going to need their wings to make a real impact on the glass with Claxton having to deal with the twin towers of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
But once again it’ll come down to their offense. Dinwiddie can stay on the floor and hide on Lamar Stevens or Isaac Okoro, but can he hit shots and create good looks on the other end?
Atlanta Hawks
The Nets look pretty safe from falling into the Play-In Tournament, but should they, they’ll likely find themselves playing at home against one of two beatable teams. The Hawks are one, having beaten the Nets by two in their only meeting since the trade deadline.
Atlanta has just been a meh team all season. These Nets can absolutely jump them in a single elimination game, with an array of lengthy, high effort defenders to stifle Trae Young.
If Claxton wins the center matchup with Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, it would give Brooklyn a real edge. They can also play the “attack Trae” game plan on the other end to make up for their lack of offensive firepower.
Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn is 4-0 against Toronto, albeit none of which coming after their big trades. The Raptors have also played like more of the playoff team folks expected in the latter part of the season, making them a scary matchup.
These two teams are very similar in builds, with Toronto having punchier talent and generally bigger dudes. Still, in single-elimination, anything can happen.
The Raptors defense can have a lot of success keeping the Nets offense in the mud, so Brooklyn would rather play Atlanta in this scenario.
