Swept clean

    Splash, splashity, splash splash splash. That was the incessant noise heard by excited Philly fans all night on April 15. Splash. If you couldn't hear the ball fall out of the net with a satisfying swish, that either the crowd's jubilant ruckus overtook the TV's volume, or your jubilant ruckus overtook the TV volume. Splash. There went another. The noise was unstoppable. Splash. It was raining three balls in the Wells Fargo Center. 

    When the Nets took on the 76ers, they weren't terrified as they probably should have been. After all, they had finished the regular season 45-37, and were able to rebound from the losses of both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. But one thing that Brooklyn forgot, was the three point line. Joel Embiid was playing, so who cares about the three point line? The 76ers do, and they made the Nets pay. 

    The 76ers continual onslaught of points behind the arc propelled them to a 121-101 Game one victory. They sunk 21 threes, breaking their former playoff record of 15 (B-R). To put that into perspective, the Sixers made 63 points from the three point line alone. Joel Embiid scored 26 while James Harden scored 23 with 13 assists. Tobias Harris added 21 points to the mix. Brooklyn's Mikal Bridges scored 30 points, but his teammates were virtually helpless. Completely caught off guard, the mismatch of Embiid and the Net's centers was almost funny. Nic Claxton could not cover Embiid, Royce O'Neale couldn't block him, and both of them combined made a fool of themselves. Embiid is just too big, too strong, and too talented for any Net to even make an effort. 

    Game two was more of the same. Tyrese Maxey easily scored 33, largely from six three pointers. A more of a low scoring game, the 76ers won 96-84. Embiid dominated the boards with 19, and even produced seven assists. Tobias Harris also grabbed 12 rebounds, and the entire team had seven blocks, compared to Brooklyn's one. The Nets also only had 22 points in the paint. Philly wrapped up things at home, and prepared to hopefully close out the series in New York. 

   

Maxey powered the 76ers to a game two victory

Photo credit: SportsNaut

    Game three was a nail-biter.  It was sloppy and looked like the Nets would force a game five in Philly. It also hit the news, heavily. After Nic Claxton rose for an alley-oop, Joel fell to the ground. In an act of disrespect, Claxton took a step over Embiid, and Embiid threw a vicious kick. Harden was ejected after driving into Royce O'Neale. It definitely wasn't the cleanest of games. Maxey's 25 points, Embiid's 10 rebounds, and a Philly style determination led the way to a 105-97 victory. 

    Game four was quick. Even without Embiid's dominant force, the Sixers won game four. Harris took charge, with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Maxey and Harden each had eight rebounds, Harden also with 11 assists. Paul Reed had a double double with 15 rebounds and 10 points, and the Sixers cruised to a 96-88 win, officially shutting down the feisty Nets. 

    Every team has a playoff slogan. For example, the 76ers is "For the Love of Philly." Golden State's is "Gold Blooded." Boston's is "Unfinished Business." These slogans are slapped on to merchandise, and on complementary rally flags fans receive at playoff games. Brooklyn's slogan for the 2023 playoffs is "The Brooklyn Way." What is the Brooklyn Way we Sixers fans must ask as the Nets were swept in four games with an average point differential of 11.25? The Brooklyn way, is to lose. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above photo was taken from a SportsNaut article. Photo taken by Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports. Image used for commentary.