Brooklyn Nets: Breakdown, predictions for 1st-round series with 76ers

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Brooklyn Nets Rodions Kurucs (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

The Brooklyn Nets open the playoffs Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia 76ers as underdogs, but the matchup is closer than it might seem.

The Brooklyn Nets are back in the playoffs and will face the No. 3-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in an Eastern Conference First Round series after securing the sixth seed in the East with a win over the Miami Heat on the final night of the regular season.

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At first glance, the 76ers (51-31 on the regular season) would appear to be significant favorites over the Nets (42-40) for a number of reasons, including experience in the postseason.

Philadelphia reached the conference semifinals a season ago, while Brooklyn hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2015.

Of the 10 players that will likely make up their rotation to open the postseason, five are in the playoffs for the first time and no one on the roster has been in a postseason game in a Nets uniform.

Three of those first-timers are in the starting lineup, point guard D’Angelo Russell, power forward Rodions Kurucs and center Jarrett Allen, while the second unit has Caris LeVert and Treveon Graham about to make their playoff debuts.

The projected starting lineup has 63 games and 1,644 minutes of postseason experience. DeMarre Carroll owns 57 of those games and 1,628 of those minutes. Joe Harris played briefly in six games during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ run to the 2015 NBA Finals, totaling 16 minutes.

The rotational bench guys combine for 60 games — 30 for Ed Davis, 29 for Jared Dudley and one for Spencer Dinwiddie — and 883 minutes (532 for Dudley, 349 for Davis, two for Dinwiddie).

But while it’s true Philadelphia owns more playoff experience, no member of their roster outside of reserves Mike Scott and Amir Johnson has played past the second round and they have zero NBA Finals experience.

And while the Nets enter the postseason mostly healthy, save for guard Allen Crabbe (likely done for the season after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee), the 76ers have a gigantic problem looming as Joel Embiid nurses a sore left knee.

His status for Game 1 is up in the air. He is listed as doubtful for the series opener and told reporters (via ESPN) that it’s his call.

"“It’s my decision because I’m the one feeling the pain and it’s my body. [The team is] going to do whatever they can as far as getting me ready and healthy, but if my body doesn’t respond based on the pain level, there’s really nothing you can do.”"

Reserve big man Jonah Bolden is questionable, also with a sore left knee, but small forward Jimmy Butler is expected back after missing four of the 76ers’ last six games with a bad back.

For his part, Allen doesn’t think Embiid will be a spectator on Saturday afternoon, even though the All-Star played in just eight of Philadelphia’s final 22 games after the All-Star break, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Jarrett Allen on if he thought Embiid would sit out: “No. Because we’re all basketball players & we all want to be out there in the playoffs...Its that time of the year where everybody wants to play. Its the best basketball out there. So I think he’s going to be out there.” #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) April 12, 2019

Here is a breakdown of the series: