After all was said and done at a wild Barclays Center on Wednesday night, after Heat star Dwyane Wade dribbled out the 24-second clock and walked off an NBA court for the last time with ten seconds remaining, both halves of a raucous crowd claimed the night.
Wade's fans, including NBA royalty LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, got to see the future Hall of Famer post a triple-double (25 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in his final performance, while Nets fans got to enjoy a 113-94 victory.
You couldn't tell from the way coach Kenny Atkinson managed the rotations on Wednesday, but the outcome of this game, which seemed to be played at three-quarter's speed, was very meaningful to Brooklyn.
Since both Detroit and Orlando also won on Wednesday, the Nets (42-40) needed the victory to clinch the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs starting Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Why was that so meaningful? I believe that this matchup will be easier for the Nets to capture a game in the best-of-seven series than if they had to face Toronto as the seventh seed. Let me emphasize "a game" and the "er" part of "easier" in that last sentence.
This isn't about winning a series, as the Nets are still heavy underdogs. The Raptors, though, would have presented significantly greater difficulties to overcome to merely stay competitive in a given game. Everyone they put on the court can shoot and defend.
The Sixers, on the other hand, sometimes struggle to defend speedy guards like Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert, especially in pick-and-roll situations.
"(The Nets are) dangerous," Sixers coach Brett Brown said prior to the last time the two teams met on March 28, a 123-110 Sixers rout. "Completely dangerous. They've got a bunch of players that can just play out of a live ball or a pick-and-roll. And when I assess where are we really weak, where do we need the most help, is pick-and-roll defense. They've got capable scorers all over the place. And the abundance and frequency and efficiency of the three-point shot that they're able to generate to get buckets quick is scary."
Toronto point guards Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet are much more disruptive forces, getting into the bodies of their opposite numbers on the dribble. Backup T.J. McConnell is the sole annoyance factor in Philly, and he's nowhere near the caliber of player of Toronto's guards.
Now, the particular contest in Philadelphia referenced above was the culmination of a brutal seven-game road trip for Brooklyn. The Nets won two of the prior three matchups this season, with the other defeat delivered on a buzzer-beating bucket by Jimmy Butler in November.
That was in the midst of Brooklyn's eight-game losing streak. The Nets are a much different team, having gone 34-22 since.
Still, the Nets have little chance of pulling off the first-round upset if Sixers center Joel Embiid is healthy. Philadelphia GM Elton Brand told reporters on Wednesday that "it's possible" that Embiid's knee and back woes could force him out of the start of the series.
Embiid averaged 30 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 5 assists in his four Brooklyn encounters, with a ridiculous 60/45.5/80.4 shooting split. In short, the Nets have yet to figure out a way to contain him.
If the Nets are to win even a single game against an Embiid-led Sixers lineup, here are three keys to success:
1) Gang Rebound
The Sixers will have size advantages over the Nets at almost every position. Expect them to be even more physical than they've been in the past meetings. That's just typical playoff basketball. How will the Nets handle it? When Jarrett Allen has manned the middle against any opponent, the Nets have bled second-chance points allowed. It's crucial that Brooklyn's guards drop into the paint to help with defensive rebounding throughout this series. They have to be keenly aware when Allen helps to protect the rim, for if he doesn't swat the attempt to a teammate, the end result is typically an easy putback. Atkinson did not play veterans Ed Davis and Jared Dudley much (15:13 combined) in the March loss—utilizing their savviness with boxouts more could prove to be a crucial adjustment.
2) 3s from 4s
The Nets can barely get away with playing offense four-on-five with Allen limited as a pick-and-roll rim runner. If it becomes three-on-five, with their power forward a nonfactor, that's a recipe for blowouts. Rookie Rodions Kurucs, a second-round pick who played approximately 45 minutes total in Barcelona last season, has emerged as the winner of Brooklyn's game of musical chairs between its stretch-fours. He may have hit the proverbial wall. He's shooting 33/22/71 in five April games. It seemed that part of Atkinson's game plan on Wednesday called for Kurucs and Treveon Graham to chuck up as many shots as possible, no matter the ugliness of the consequences (9-for-32 from the field, including 4-for-19 from deep). If it was meant to inspire confidence, it didn't work. Unfortunately, there aren't palatable options. Dudley has been too inconsistent. DeMarre Carroll's sore wrist has hampered his shooting. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is strictly a five these days. In reality, the Nets need Kurucs' length on defense this series. He's going to have to knock down a few wide open looks for the Nets to have a chance at a win.
3) Win Turnover Battle--Decisively
The regular season series played out like football. In the Nets' two wins, they forced an average of 22.5 Sixers turnovers per game while committing only 13. In their defeats, the story was reversed, with Philadelphia ahead in the turnover battle, 13.5-9.5. Some experts are wary of buying the Sixers as an East contender despite all their talent because of a concern that they will fall apart emotionally. That may happen later in the postseason, but it shouldn't this series. However, Philly could get careless, especially in Brooklyn if they go up 2-0. The Nets, meanwhile, have to learn quickly the importance of valuing each possession in the playoffs. D'Angelo Russell, in particular, is prone to turnovers while attempting high-degree-of-difficulty maneuvers. That can't happen if the Nets are to capture a game.
Prediction:
Making the playoffs and finishing over .500 is a remarkable achievement for Brooklyn. That won't change no matter what happens in the franchise's first postseason experience since 2015. They are a confident bunch after punching their ticket with a three-game winning streak. They won't get swept.
Sixers in five.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
