The Philadelphia 76ers ended their regular season on Easter Sunday with a win over the team they will match up with in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets.
The Sixers are the 3 seed in the East, finishing with a record of 54-28. The Nets are the 6 seed in the East, finishing with a record of 45-37.
This is a familiar first-round matchup for the Sixers, as they faced the Nets in the first round of the 2019 playoffs when the Sixers won four in a row after a game-one loss to win the series 4-1.
Vegas does not think the outcome of the series this time around will be different either, with the Sixers being a -1000 favorite to win the series.
To be honest, there is a lot to be excited about this Sixers team heading into the playoffs. If there is a team to advance to a conference finals and possibly an NBA Finals, this is the team to do it.
But before that happens, the Sixers have a first-round matchup against the Nets looming, and here’s why they should get it done.
Joel Embiid in Attack Mode
Joel Embiid finished up his likely MVP season with a 52-point performance against the Celtics on April 4. The back-to-back scoring champ will look to stay in attack mode against a thin Brooklyn frontcourt.
Nic Claxton has developed into a nice young player for the Nets. He averaged 2.5 blocks per game, which is good for second in the entire league. The problem is the depth behind him, which consists of second-year player DayRon Sharpe.
Embiid is known for being aggressive on offense when attacking his man, and I expect him to do the same when he faces up against Claxton.
On January 25, Embiid had 26 and 10 against the Nets, but he struggled from the floor, shooting 6/18. What really stood out from this game was Embiid’s 13/13 line from the foul line, 9 of which came in the second half. In addition, he attacked Claxton frequently in the second half, as Claxton had 5 fouls in the second half alone.
On February 11, Embiid was dominant against Brooklyn, dropping 37 and 13 while shooting 12/18 from the floor and 12/13 from the line.
There is no doubt Embiid will get to the line, as he attempts nearly 12 free throws per game and shot 13 both times he faced Brooklyn earlier this season.
If he attacks Claxton at will and gets him into foul trouble, it will force Brooklyn to use DayRon Sharpe. If Sharpe and Embiid are on the floor at the same time, Embiid can dominate in the mid-range, and when they bring a double team (which they will have to with Sharpe on the floor), Embiid will pass out of it to an open shooter, something that he has proven he can do at a high level.
Even with the matchup against Claxton, with whom Embiid has a slight history, Embiid will get to the line at will and take over games down the stretch. Look for MVPiid to average close to 35 and 12 this series.
Speaking of Free Throws…
Not only did Embiid get to the line at will against Brooklyn in the regular season, but the entire Sixers team also did.
In both games against Brooklyn in the regular season (when all starters for Philly played), the Sixers shot incredibly from the foul line, shooting a combined 64/66, which is good for 97%.
On the other hand, Brooklyn struggled to create as many opportunities at the foul line against the Sixers in the regular season, shooting a combined 32/40 in those games.
This is a huge mismatch the Sixers should look to take advantage of. The Nets allowed their opponents to attempt 24.5 free throws per game this season, the 7th highest rate in the NBA.
On the other hand, the Sixers are attempting 25.2 free throws per game (7th highest rate in the NBA) and shooting 83.6% from the line on the season (1st in the NBA).
We have seen in the regular season that even if the shots are not falling for the Sixers, the foul line will always be a way for them to keep scoring.
If the Sixers can get to the foul line early and often, the Nets will be in for a long and frustrating series.
Backcourt Will Look to Cook
I expect a huge series from the Sixers’ backcourt of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Harden tore up Brooklyn in both appearances against them, going for 23 and 7 assists while shooting 5/10 from 3 on January 25 and scoring 29 against them on February 11.
In that January 25 game, Harden took advantage of wide-open looks and went at the mismatch when the Nets switched a big on him when a high ball screen came.
On February 11, Harden showed a slightly more iso-centric game, routinely getting to his spots and hitting tough shots. He again took advantage of the switching Brooklyn defense in that game and showed how much of a problem he is in the pick-and-roll.
With Harden’s playoff experience, he knows what it takes to win, and I will be looking for a huge series, both scoring, and passing for the league’s leader in assists per game.
Maxey will be a reliable scoring option and a guy you can go to down the stretch. He quietly put up an extremely efficient season, averaging 20 points per game, shooting 51% from 2 and 43% from 3.
It is not far-fetched to think Maxey has a 50/40/90 season in him in the near future, especially considering that since the all-star break, he did precisely that.
Maxey then ended the season on fire, lighting it up in the month of March and repeatedly showing why he is one of the most coveted young talents in the league.
With rumors of Maxey being in line for a max contract extension with the Sixers when the time comes, look for him to be ultra aggressive in this series, both at the rim and from 3.
The Sixers will open up the playoffs on Saturday at 1:00 PM from the Wells Fargo Center. The atmosphere will be electric as the Sixers will look to prove that this team can go on a deep run.
