The Nets defeated Philadelphia. Did Beard leave Durant and company for nothing?
The Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia Sixers is one of the most anticipated games of the regular season. In addition to the fact that both clubs have been incredibly productive and high-quality before, this game is the first since the scandalous swap of Ben Simmons and James Harden. Previously, Simmons had played for Philadelphia, while Harden had been a starter for Brooklyn.
Once James joined the Sixers, the team never lost a game. The trend continued until the matchup with the Nets. The club was as fit as they could be, while Philadelphia looked lost and sluggish. Even Harden wasn’t himself on the field, making a lot of mistakes.
Philadelphia’s biggest mistakes against Brooklyn
The first quarter had already been a disappointing one for the Sixers, as they ended with a double-digit lead. The home team’s defense suffered the most on all fronts. They relied on individual play, which the Nets capitalized on. They controlled the ball with confidence, dominated all over the floor and hit the basket at every opportunity.
“Philadelphia could make up for their defensive lapses with scoring chances. But it wasn’t working either. Players were in too much of a hurry, then slowed down as much as they could, and there were constant fumbles and turnovers. The fourth quarter was inconclusive for the Sixers’ starting five. Not a single shot was taken around the basket. All that sloppiness led to a 100-129 rout of Philadelphia.
Work on mistakes and the James Harden position
According to Rivers’ comments after the game, Brooklyn won with decent physicality and momentum on the court. In his opinion, that’s where Philadelphia lost. Another miss was the lack of teamwork. In essence, it was every man for himself and that played havoc with the game. Rivers said that the work will be done after the game review. It is possible that some schemes will be changed and there will be a reshuffle.
James Harden also failed to save his team. Moreover, some of the mistakes were made by him. First of all, he posted the lousiest plus-minus on the team (-30). “Beard” managed to score only 11 points, providing only a 3-17 game. No two-pointers per game, although there were 10 attempts. The shots inside the three-point arc were 0, while there were a myriad of attempts here too.
Nevertheless, nothing surprising happened. More than once, Harden was lost on the court at the most crucial and necessary moment. Despite Beard’s high-scoring performance in his first few games in his new position, his defense has become unreliable and the game against Brooklyn proved that once again. The opponents showed that the renewal in the Philadelphia ranks was not as impressive as initially thought.
It’s unclear now whether the Beards’ decision was impulsive and hasty, or whether it made sense. In Kevin Durant’s opinion, Harden apparently wanted to get closer to the title. Only the playoffs will show who’s going to get their noses in the air.
