Getty Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers
After the Philadelphia 76ers won their regular season finale against the Brooklyn Nets on April 9, head coach Doc Rivers did not hold back in praising their upcoming playoff opponent for how well they managed themselves after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Though Rivers did not want to talk too much about the Nets, Rivers said the Nets are still a good team despite the drastic changes they made midseason.
“They’re a good team,” Rivers said during his postgame press conference. “They didn’t lose much ground once they lost all their guys. They kept playing well and winning, so, we’ll have to be ready.”
The Nets went 12-15 during their last 27 games when they integrated all of their new players – Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Dorian Finney-Smith – on February 9. In that time, the Nets dropped from no. 5 to no. 6 in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Sixers faced off against the new-look Nets team with their full squad once this season, winning 101-98 on February 11.
Tobias Harris Singles Out Mikal Bridges
After the Sixers sealed their first-round fate with the Nets, Tobias Harris singled out Mikal Bridges for his play while talking with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“He’s good,” Harris told Pompey. “He’s ballin’. So he will be a big piece for them in the playoffs. We have to be able to make all of his looks tough.”
Bridges has seen his role grow quite a bit with the Nets compared to the one he had with the Phoenix Suns this season.
In 56 games with the Suns this season, Bridges averaged 17.2 points a game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 38.7% from three. Bridges also averaged 13.6 field goal attempts a game while shooting 3.1 free throw attempts a game.
In 27 games with the Nets this season, Bridges averaged 26.1 points while shooting 47.5% from the field and 37.6% from three. Bridges also averaged 18.6 field goal attempts a game while shooting 5.9 free throw attempts a game.
Bridges has proven himself to be more productive with a larger role in his team’s offense and will be among the players the Sixers should primarily focus on stopping when the teams square off in the playoffs.
Spencer Dinwiddie Singles Out Joel Embiid
With the Sixers-Nets playoff series on the horizon, Spencer Dinwiddie revealed to Brian Lewis of The New York Post whether there’s potential there for a rivalry. Dinwiddie also singled out Joel Embiid for a couple of past incidents he’s had with Nets players.
“Definitely,” Dinwiddie said. “I think we need a little more long-standing success as a rivalry to call Philly a true rival, but we have had some iconic meetings when I was there. They had a little beef; Nic [Claxton] and Embiid got into it, and Embiid had elbowed Jarrett, stuff like that. I’d say it’s too early.”
Dinwiddie was on the Nets when they last faced the Sixers in the playoffs in 2019, a series in which the Sixers won in five games. Since then, Dinwiddie has had stints with the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks before being traded back to the Nets at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline.