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…