Ranking 3 Potential Brooklyn Nets Playoff Opponents by Upset Potential
By John Canady
The Brooklyn Nets have gone through a roller coaster of a season. After moving on from their dynamic duo in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets seemingly seemed to press the reset button. Despite the reset, the ability to retool with the compensation from the trades left the team in a promising position moving forward.
Brooklyn sits as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, with the postseason right around the corner. Despite the Nets’ 4-6 record in their last 10 games, the team finds itself on a three-game winning streak. With Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie leading the charge, Brooklyn could be in line to play spoiler in the first round of the playoffs.
With the potential to upset opponents in the first round, these three opponents may not want to overlook a matchup against the Nets.
3 Potential Brooklyn Nets Playoff Opponents by Upset Potential
3. Philadelphia 76ers
This matchup, ironically, is the likeliest matchup to happen and the least likely for the Nets to win. The 76ers sit as the third seed in the East and are currently top-five in the odds to win the NBA Finals. The Sixers are led by MVP front-runner Joel Embiid, who would be a hard force to slow down for the Nets.
The Nets would have their hands full trying to slow down Embiid and James Harden, but they’ve shown capability in their most recent matchup in February. In one of their first few games together, the Nets new lineup took the Sixers down to the wire before ultimately falling short in a 101-98 loss. Despite the loss, Brooklyn showed the ability to take away all other options from Philly, forcing Harden and Embiid to beat them on their own.
While Philly has the manpower between their two stars to beat the Nets on their own, there’s no doubt it would wear the two down with the young legs of the Nets. If Brooklyn can find a way to slow down the duo, their chances to pull off an upset may be higher than some anticipate.
Don’t count the Nets out because this young squad never counts themselves out.