The Philadelphia 76ers closed out their first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets in convincing fashion.
After a chippy Game 4, the Philadelphia 76ers came out with conviction in Game 5. It resulted in a thorough spanking of the Brooklyn Nets, with the crowd exploding and the defense living up to its elite potential.
From the tip, things weren’t close. At all. The Sixers started the game on a 14-0 run, which would eventually be expanded to 23-2. Ben Simmons locked up D’Angelo Russell, Joel Embiid emphatically protected the paint and communication was a non-issue. It was beautiful.
The Sixers’ dominance continued in the second quarter, with the halftime lead reaching 29 points. Brooklyn scored 15 and 16 points in the first and second quarters, respectively. Outside a decent Caris LeVert stretch, not much was falling.
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It was the perfect end to the series for a Philadelphia team that will need momentum in the second round. The Nets put in serious effort to disrupt the Sixers on a mental level, but even Jared Dudley‘s most desperate efforts couldn’t sidetrack the Sixers’ superior talent.
Joel Embiid dropped 23 points and 13 rebounds in 20 minutes. The other starters were also solid, with nobody forced to carry an excessive burden. It was a balanced effort and shots were falling. It was a good night for fans.
Embiid was benched midway through the third quarter, affording the big man some extra rest. By the last few minutes of that frame, Ben Simmons checked out and completed the starters’ reign. It was essentially 24 minutes of garbage time after the break.
Brooklyn’s Game 1 victory was impressive and the Nets deserve credit for offering some resistance. It wasn’t the best matchup for Philadelphia and the Dudley fiasco added extra spice to a division rivalry.
The series ended on a bitter note, however, as Jonah Bolden and Rodions Kurucs got into a minor scuffle. It resulted in ejections for those two, as well as Greg Monroe and Dzanan Musa, with 1:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. The ramifications shouldn’t be worrisome moving into next series.
In Toronto, the Sixers face possibly their worst on-paper matchup in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are loaded with versatile defenders, athletic scorers and capable role players. It will be a challenge, both for the Sixers’ core pieces and Brett Brown.
Brown made several key adjustments in the Brooklyn series, essentially closing the door on the Nets after the surprising Game 1 upset. The Raptors are a new beast, and one Brown will need to gameplan spectacularly well for. Nick Nurse isn’t an elite coach, but the Raptors have a lot to work with.
It should be a fun series. You can follow our friends over at Raptors Rapture for the opposing views. Also, shout out to our other friends at Nothin’ But Nets for a fun series.