Nets vs. 76ers: Five things to watch in their NBA first-round playoff series
James Harden of the 76ers drives against Mikal Bridges of the Nets at Barclays Center on Feb. 11. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The current Nets have been together for two months, have one shooter capable of creating his own shots in Mikal Bridges, and should consider it an accomplishment to have made it into the playoffs after all the drama they endured this season.
The 76ers, led by two-time scoring champion Joel Embiid and NBA assist leader and ex-Net James Harden, have every reason to think this could be the year they finally get past the conference semifinals.
Suffice to say, everyone knows who is the underdog in this Eastern Conference first-round series that opens Saturday in Philadelphia. And that’s just fine with the sixth-seeded Nets.
“I mean, if I was a betting man, I would pick the [team with the] MVP,” the Nets' Spencer Dinwiddie said in reference to the fact Embiid is the front-runner for the award this year. “Obviously, we embrace [the underdog] role and we’re going to relish it.”
For the Nets to pull off a major upset and advance to the conference semifinals, they will have to overcome a number of challenges. Here’s five things to watch in the series:
What to do about Joel Embiid?
The Nets know they aren’t going to be able to contain the two-time NBA scoring champ and presumptive MVP playing one-on-one, so the goal is to throw the kitchen sink at him. Jacque Vaughn wants to make Embiid, who averaged 33.1 points per game, work for his baskets. Nic Claxton, listed at 215 pounds, will be the primary defender on the 280-pound Embiid. In a January game in Philadelphia, Embiid and Claxton got into a heated exchange after Claxton blocked Embiid's shot. They both were assessed technical fouls. Claxton is going to get plenty of help on Embiid this time. “Embiid poses such a challenge for us,” Vaughn said. “Nic will have his hands full to start the game . . . The best thing about this group is you try to keep them locked in and ready for when their number is called.”
How healthy is James (I was once briefly a Net) Harden?
Remember the Big 3, the 16 games that Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant once played together in a Nets uniform? Harden gets props for being smart enough to realize you can't rely on Irving as a teammate if you want to go deep into the playoffs. He’s landed in a pretty good place and led the league in assists this season. Harden, however, has been dealing with a nagging Achilles injury and over the course of his career has been underwhelming in the playoffs. He will certainly be plenty motivated as he can opt out of his contract at the end of the season.
Will Mikal Bridges come up big in his hometown?
Since being traded to the Nets, Bridges has been playing like a star. In 27 games with the Nets, he's had 11 30-point performances after just two in 365 games with the Phoenix Suns. Can he keep it up in the postseason? He’s going to have to if the Nets have any chance of winning. Bridges is the only player on the Nets who can create his own shot, which puts an immense amount of pressure on him in a series against a team that has two superstars.
Can the Nets knock down a lot of threes?
The Nets' complementary players need to band together and make some high-value baskets. Since trading away Irving and Durant, the Nets have relied heavily on the three-point shot. Before the trade, the Nets were ranked 16th in the league in three-point shooting. Post-trade? The Nets ranked fifth while making 43.7% of their shots from three-point range. Since reshaping the roster, the Nets were 8-2 when they shot 38.6% from beyond the arc and 5-13 when they were under that mark. They also were 7-0 when they made more than 15 threes, but just 5-13 when they did not.
Can the Nets keep the 76ers off the foul line?
The Nets are walking a thin line here as they need to find a way to make it hard on Embiid and Harden without sending them to the free-throw line. The 76ers were the best free throw shooting team in the league, making 83.5% of their attempts. Embiid, an 85.7% shooter from the line, averaged 11.7 free-throw attempts, second only to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Harden made 86.7% of his foul shouts. When asked what the Nets needed to do Vaughn said: “Be extremely competitive and aggressive and physical but do it without fouling.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
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