Sixers vs. Nets Game 1 Takeaways

15 more wins.

Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.

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The Sixers’ playoff run began this afternoon with the first game of their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. There were many fascinating tactical decisions being unveiled by each team, leading to an environment that I would describe as, if nothing else, pure chaos. 

There’s a lot to unpack -- so let’s dive in.

Brooklyn’s Joel Embiid coverage and Embiid’s response

The Nets came into this game with a very clear objective, and it was to not let Embiid beat them. They threw double-teams at him as soon as he touched the ball, and sometimes even sent a third defender. 

That forced Embiid to make rapid decisions. A few years ago he would have been flustered by this kind of aggressive coverage and forced the issue. But today’s Embiid, the one on the verge of an MVP, instantly began picking apart Brooklyn’s defense with his passing.

Embiid didn’t finish with a remarkable amount of assists, but he did have a whole lot of hockey assists. The Sixers were outstanding from three-point range tonight, but it wasn’t some sort of flukey aberration. It was a direct result of Brooklyn’s entire defense collapsing on Embiid at every possible chance.

Mikal Bridges shines in first half, quiet in second half

This guy is phenomenal. Bridges, considered an off-ball role player a few months ago, has already blossomed into a fantastic three-level scorer. He can easily get to his spots, and his combination of length and a high release point makes his jumpers extremely difficult to contest. 

The Sixers didn’t have an answer for Bridges for the entire first half, but in the second half were able to contain him on drives and force the ball out of his hands. With all due respect to the rest of Brooklyn’s roster, they just don’t have anyone else capable of sparking real fear in you right now.

James Harden’s bizarre scoring

Harden’s night was incredibly odd. He struggled mightily from inside the arc -- he was blocked multiple times and missed close finishes through any sort of contact. But to offset that, he went nuts from beyond the arc, knocking down seven threes on 13 tries.

Clearly, Harden will not be lights out from three every night. And while it’s fair to feel like his shot-making is something you can be reliant on given his track record, he will need to be much better inside the arc as the playoffs continue.

PJ Tucker already leaving his mark

Talk about committing to the bit! It took Tucker one game to do just about everything the Sixers had signed him for. He had five offensive rebounds and five steals while knocking down two of five three-point tries.

As brutal as the regular season was at times, the Sixers were adamant that Tucker’s value would peak this time of year. So far, that checks out.

Is BBall Paul the best player in the league?

Fresh off his appearance at Live Ricky V, Paul Reed played outstanding basketball tonight. The Sixers outscored Brooklyn with him off the floor, and he made several highlight plays to incite a massive ‘BBALL PAUL” chant. Who said that the Ricky Bump can’t carry into the playoffs?