Sixers need more from Simmons and have to find ways to counter Nets’ guards, speed, and bench.
Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets was about which team wanted it more. The Brooklyn Nets did.
Nets’ Caris LeVert, center left, celebrates with his teammates (photo, FOX News)
And there were four keys to victory. It was an all-around team effort with D’Angelo Russell leading the way. Russell scored 26 points in the shocking Game 1 victory. The bench play was also a key to winning the game. Two bench players scored in double digits–Caris LeVert, who poured in 23 points in 23 minutes of action, and Spencer Dinwiddie dropped 18 points.
The Nets’ guards played like they had been there and done that, and it was the ultimate difference in the game. And Kenny Atkinson schemed up a great plan to contain Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
For the Sixers, it was a terrible start to the 2019 Playoffs. The fans were upset, and I don’t blame them. Jimmy Butler seemed like the only Sixer who showed up to play. He scored a career playoff high of 36 points. But Ben Simmons was invisible for the majority of the game. He took only nine shots the entire game, which enabled the Nets to double-team Embiid when he posted up on the block.
To make matters worse, Tobias Harris and J.J Reddick combined for 9 points on 4/14 shooting, and the team was an abysmal 3/25 from behind the arc. Those numbers are a recipe for disaster, and that’s exactly what Saturday’s game turned out to be.
With the loss, Bret Brown has work to do. I’d like to see him insert Mike Scott for Reddick because JJ is a defensive liability. Scott gives the Sixers a better defensive presence, and he can also shoot the three-ball. Reddick can come off the bench and help with the scoring load.
I also think that the Sixers should post Simmons and Joel at the same time so that the Nets can’t use a double team. That strategy would also help the shooters on the outside, making Butler a de facto point guard.
On the other side of the court, I think the Nets will try to run more in this series. The Nets realize that they have more depth than the Sixers, which means they can throw multiple bodies on the floor.
Jarrett Allen is Broolyn’s x-factor. Because of foul trouble, Allen didn’t play much in Game 1. I expect more from him as the series unfolds. Allen’s replacement, Ed Davis, came in and gave the Nets 13 points and 16 rebounds. The Nets hope he can sustain that productivity.
