8:00 PM EST, TNT – Line: 76ers -7.5, Over/Under: 225.5

The opening salvo of the 2019 NBA Playoffs packed it’s fair share of surprises, with tonight’s meeting between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers fitting that bill to a tee, as the two sides battle it out in Game Two from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In an Eastern Playoff Field littered with great stories, the Nets (42-40, 6th in Eastern Conference) would certainly rank towards the top, returning to the Postseason for the first time since 2015. Needless to say, after winning just Forty-Eight Games over the past two seasons, expectations were hardly even lukewarm for Brooklyn, who had spent the previous three seasons climbing their way out of a proverbial void, due to years of mismanagement, poor drafting, and doling out even worse contracts. However, in his third season with the franchise, Kenny Atkinson has dragged this outfit to the light at the end of the tunnel, overcoming a disastrous 8-18 start to the campaign en route to reaching the Playoffs. One of the younger team in the Postseason, this roster has flourished under the tutelage of Atkinson and his Coaching Staff, improving as the term has progressed, while also exhibiting a resilience in overcoming injuries. Third-Year Swingman Caris LeVert (13.7 PTS, 42.9% FG, 31.2% 3FG, 3.8 REB, 3.9 AST, 1.1 STL, 14.9 PER) missed all but Forty Games this season due to an ugly foot injury, while veteran marksman Allen Crabbe (9.6 PTS, 36.7 FG, 37.8% 3FG, 3.4 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.5 STL, 7.7 PER) is likely out for the duration of the Postseason after undergoing Arthroscopic Knee Surgery back in mid-March. Fortunately, depth has been a real strength for this group, with six different players scoring in double-figures, while Atkinson has been unafraid of playing his younger charges heavy minutes. As a result, that belief has paid off handsomely, particularly in the case of first-time All-Star, D’Angelo Russell (21.1 PTS, 43.4% FG, 36.9% 3FG, 3.9 REB, 7.0 AST, 1.2 STL, 19.4 PER). The fourth-year Point Guard was viewed as very much a pariah when he was acquired via trade with the Los Angeles Lakers two summers ago, but has developed into the driving force behind this basketball renaissance in Brooklyn. Possessing great size, skills, and instincts, the biggest concern in regards to this kid has always been his maturity, but now in a different environment, it appears that he’s finally beginning to make good on his lofty billing as the 2015 No. Two Overall Pick, averaging career-highs in a slew of categories including Minutes (30.2), Points (21.1), Field Goal Percentage (43.4%), Three-Point Percentage (36.9%), Rebounds (3.9), Assists (7.0), and PER (19.4). With that said, he’s far from the only youngster to flourish under Atkinson’s watch, for Sophomore Center Jarrett Allen (10.9 PTS, 59.0% FG, 8.4 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.5 STL, 1.5 BLK, 18.5 PER) has emerged as a bonafide deterrent in the Paint, while the likes of unheralded role players such as Joe Harris (13.7 PTS, 50.0% FG, 47.4% 3FG, 3.8 REB, 2.4 AST, 0.5 STL, 13.5 PER) and Spencer Dinwiddie (16.8 PTS, 44.2% FG, 33.5% 3FG, 2.4 REB, 4.6 AST, 0.6 STL, 16.3 PER) have benefitted greatly in expanded roles, with the former leading the league in Three-Point Percentage and the latter affording the Coaching Staff the luxury of versatility playing alongside Russell.
When we last saw the Nets, they certainly looked like the more experienced of the two teams in defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in a largely-one-sided 111-102 victory in Game One of the First Round of the Playoffs. A prohibitive underdog coming into this series, you wouldn’t know it after watching Saturday’s action, for Atkinson’s young troops seized control of the affair early and never relinquished it, leading by as many as Fourteen Points. The triumvirate of Russell, LeVert, and Dinwiddie tormented the hosts throughout the contest, with Russell leading the way with Twenty-Six Points on 10-of-25 shooting (50.0%), fourteen of which came in the Third Quarter, with LeVert and Dinwiddie coming off the Bench to score a combined Forty-One Points on 14-of-32 shooting overall (43.8%), drilling 5-of-8 Three-Pointers (62.5%). In the end, Brooklyn shot just 43.2% from the field, but got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down 11-of-26 attempts (42.3%), and exploited Philadelphia’s inability to guard them off the dribble, getting to the Charity Stripe frequently, where they calmly netted 24-of-26 Free-Throws (92.3%). The visitors outscored the home side by a whopping Twenty-Four Points from downtown, while their Bench played a rather huge role in their success, outscoring the Sixers’ in decisive fashion 59-26. Veteran Center Ed Davis (5.8 PTS, 61.6% FG, 8.6 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.4 STL, 0.4 BLK, 17.3 PER) was an x-factor in a reserve role, totaling Twelve Points, Sixteen Rebounds, and a pair of Assists in just over Twenty-Five Minutes of action, providing the requisite size to match up with the larger, physically-imposing 76ers.


Meanwhile, it appears that The Process continues for the 76ers (51-31, 3rd in Eastern Conference). This current stage of Philadelphia’s famed experiment is indeed turning out to be it’s most challenging, for the young, loveable basketball team that came of age over the second half of last season, triumphantly returning to the Playoffs after years spent digging their way out of mediocrity, must now deal with lofty expectations, and season-long concerns over their chemistry. With that said, is it any surprise that they’ve struggled to find their footing in this brave new basketball world? Indeed, it’s a very different plane of existence for the Third-Seeded Sixers, who have undergone a number of changes throughout the 2018-2019 campaign, completing not one, but two, major trades, first acquiring All-Star Shooting Guard Jimmy Butler (18.2 PTS, 46.1% FG, 33.8% 3FG, 5.3 REB, 4.0 AST, 1.8 STL, 0.5 BLK, 19.8 PER), who bulldozed his way out of Minnesota, and later obtaining the services of versatile Wingman, Tobias Harris (18.2 PTS, 46.9% FG, 32.6% 3FG, 7.9 REB, 2.9 AST, 0.4 STL, 0.5 BLK, 15.3 PER), in a deadline deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Needless to say, inserting these two talents into the Rotation has caused quite the conundrum for Brett Brown and his Staff, who in acquiring the two All-Stars has sent them back to the proverbial drawing board in terms of building precious chemistry. After all, let’s not forget that they sacrificed valuable depth to secure these two talents, with that Bench playing a huge role in their run to the Second Round of the Playoffs a year ago. Yes, this team is unquestionably more talented than they were, but we must now consider how (and if) these pieces fit together, which has been Brown’s major task throughout the term. Few teams in the NBA, let alone the Eastern Conference, can boast the sheer size, length, athleticism, and star power that Philly can at the moment, but due to a variety of reasons, they have rarely proven to be a group that is capable of being greater than the sum of it’s parts. So what’s been holding The Process up, you ask? Given how Butler’s tenure with the Timberwolves ended in flames, one would have to assume that integrating the outspoken veteran into the Rotation has been far from easy, and perhaps even jarring given the youthful personalities of their All-Stars Joel Embiid (27.5 PTS, 48.4% FG, 30.0% 3FG, 13.6 REB, 3.7 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.9 BLK, 26.1 PER) and Ben Simmons (16.9 PTS, 56.3% FG, 8.8 REB, 7.7 AST, 1.4 STL, 0.8 BLK, 20.0 PER). Embiid, who by and large has played some of the best basketball of his young career, missed fourteen of the final twenty-three outings of the Regular Season due to recurring Tendinitis in his left knee, which the Coaching Staff has been extremely cautious with given how much time the All-NBA Center has already missed in his career. Simmons, the reigning Rookie of the Year, has not improved much from a year ago, particularly when it comes to further fleshing out his already versatile skill-set (I.E. shooting from the perimeter). Since acquiring Harris back in early February, the 76ers have gone 17-11, but for all intents and purposes have backed their way into the Postseason, losing four out of their final six games. In the month of April, they’ve fallen considerably on the defensive end of the floor, allowing a dismal 117.8 Points on 47.9% shooting from the field, including 37.0% from beyond the arc, and 26.0 Assists in comparison to forcing just 9.3 Turnovers. Waitaminute, wasn’t this supposed to a good defensive team? Yeah, well…
When we last saw the Sixers, the malaise that they were stuck in to end the Regular Season continued in their disappointing 102-111 loss at home to the Brooklyn Nets in Game One of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Indeed, Philadelphia certainly earned the cavalcade of boos that rained down from the fan base at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, for despite being a considerable favorite, they simply never looked all that engaged in the contest. Offensively, Brown’s charges could muster just 40.7% shooting from the field, including a miserable 3-of-25 from beyond the arc (12.0%), and despite attempting a staggering Forty-Two Free-Throws, largely squandered their opportunities, missing thirteen of them (69.0%). Butler carried his side with a game-high Thirty-Six Points on 11-of-22 shooting from the floor (50.0%), including 13-of-15 from the Stripe (86.7%), while Embiid added Twenty-Two Points, Fifteen Rebounds, Four Assists, and Five Blocks, but was only able to play a little more than Twenty-Four Minutes, due to further soreness in his bulky left knee. However, don’t be fooled by that stat line, for the towering Center was taken out of the affair rather early, earning a Technical Foul in the First Quarter, before leaving the court with three minutes left to play in the second stanza to receive treatment. Furthermore, all but ten of his points came from the Free-Throw Line, further diminishing his impact on the game itself. While all anyone wanted to talk about was his interaction with teammate Amir Johnson on the Bench, when the Reserve pulled out his Cell Phone for everyone to see, it’s clear that this is quite a different team with and without his presence on the court. Simmons, for that matter, was an afterthought totaling just Nine Points, Seven Rebounds, and Three Assists, while missing all but one of his Five Free-Throws, resulting in the fans voicing their displeasure in the All-Star. With Embiid clearly not at his best, Philadelphia will need the rest of the Supporting Cast, which they’ve moved mountains to bolster with stars, to live up to their billing, otherwise this could turn out to be an unceremonious ousting that could set The Process back significantly…