Nets' attempt to contain Joel Embiid works only so well in Game 1 loss
Spencer Dinwiddie #26 of the Brooklyn Nets loses control of the ball against Joel Embiid #21 and Tobias Harris #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter during Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 15, 2023 in Philadelphia. Credit: Getty Images/Mitchell Leff
PHILADELPHIA — The Nets were all over Joel Embiid.
For two straight quarters Saturday afternoon, it seemed there wasn’t a spot on the court that Embiid could move to without having two Brooklyn defenders right in his face. There were no open looks. No clear paths to the basket. No way to ignore that the shots he was able to take weren’t falling.
So Embiid, one of the greatest players in the game today, did something all great players do: He adjusted.
Since Embiid couldn’t put the ball in the hole early, he relied on his teammates to do it for him. He made crisp passes out of double- and triple-teams, setting up players such as Tobias Harris and eventually James Harden to have big games before he could get his going.
And the result was the 76ers were eventually able to roll to a 121-101 win over the Nets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
“Every single possession, they just kept doubling. It didn’t matter where I was — half court, three-point line, post. So I just have to trust in my teammates. I have to make the simple pass and simple plays.”
Embiid, who on Friday was announced as one of three MVP finalists, eventually did get his, finishing the game with 26 points after just 10 in the first half, and Harden added 23. Coach Doc Rivers said they had prepared Embiid for the type of defense he might see from the Nets and he did exactly what they needed.
“I give Joel credit,” Rivers said. “He was really patient. We sold that to him. We said you’re going to end up with whatever amount of points no matter what happens. And that happened. When you start making everyone else better, it makes us a pretty good team.”
A pretty good team that has its eyes on competing with Milwaukee and Boston, the big boys in the Eastern Conference. It’s not that the Sixers are looking past the Nets. It’s just that the way they won Saturday made it clear that the Nets just don’t have the firepower to compete with a team like Philadelphia.
Heading into Game 1, much to-do was made that the Nets were a so-called starless team. That appears to be no longer the case, which may be the one good thing to come out of Game 1 for the Nets.
Mikal Bridges, who scored 23 of his game-high 30 points in the first half, is more than ready for the big time. Bridges, who grew up in suburban Philadelphia and played at nearby Villanova, looked determined to show 76ers fans that the team made a mistake when they decided not to keep him after drafting him five years ago. He played so well early that he kept the Nets within striking distance of the 76ers the first two quarters, forcing them to change their defensive strategy on him at halftime.
“At halftime, Bridges was destroying us,” Rivers said. “The first half for him was like being on the beach. He just kept curling in the paint, wide open shots. Second half, we double-teamed him a lot more. We got the ball out of his hands and I thought that was effective.”
Bridges scored just seven points in the second half and attempted just two shots. What’s more, when he was double-teamed, there was no one there capable of picking up the slack.
Spencer Dinwiddie had seven assists, four turnovers and was 1-for-5 from three-point range. Joe Harris was practically non-existent, with three points on 1-for-3 shooting Cam Johnson was the one player who came close to giving the Nets the scoring they needed, getting 18 points and making 4-for-6 on three-pointers.
The problem wasn’t so much that the Nets weren’t making shots as the fact that they weren’t taking them because they were so challenged on the offensive boards. With the size disparity, it’s hard to see the rebounding situation changing. So if the Nets are going to find a way to bounce back and eke out a win in this series, they are going to have to make some three-pointers.
Right now, with the confidence the Sixers have, it’s going to be a tall task. And a lot of that confidence comes from having Embiid as a teammate.
Said Harden: “He makes it easy. Joel is going to get his buckets no matter what. That’s just how good he is.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
