NBA: How other East contenders can upset the Nets

With everyone at full strength, it seems that the Brooklyn Nets are not only the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but favorites to win the Finals. Brooklyn has been up and down in the last 10 games, going just 6-4 in those matchups. While they don’t have James Harden for the time being and Kevin Durant is only playing in select games since his hamstring injury, there are a couple of flaws that other teams can exploit even when fully healthy.

The East is filled with new up and coming teams making playoff runs this year, including the Hornets, Hawks, Knicks, and even the Wizards. The top teams have stayed consistent, with the 76ers in the 1-seed, followed by Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Looking at potential matchups in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers and Bucks give the Nets the most competitive matchup. Both teams have some advantages over Brooklyn that they can use to try and upset the 2021 title favorites.

Philadelphia has an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid that can give Brooklyn a lot of trouble. Embiid is putting up 29.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, but averages an even better 31points per game against the Nets. Giannis Antetokounmpo has had a field day against Brooklyn this year, as well, averaging nearly 40 points and 11 rebounds in three games. I'm sure DeAndre Jordan himself would admit he isn't the defensive anchor that he was for the Clippers in his early days.

Brooklyn will have to double Embiid, but that can leave the door open for other scorers on the Sixers like Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, and Seth Curry. Milwaukee has even more players that can take advantage of the attention Giannis gets. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton can get 20 on any given night. Defense has been an occurring problem for the Nets, ranking 22nd in defensive efficiency (113.2 points), and 25th (114.4 points) in the last eight games.

Teams with a lot of offensive firepower like the Bucks, Sixers, Heat, and Celtics could potentially give the Nets mismatches that will make it hard to get consistent stops, especially down the stretch. The difference between these teams is that the 76ers and Bucks can also be a problem on defense. According to Team Rankings, Philadelphia ranks 2nd and Milwaukee ranks 7th in defensive efficiency. It'll be interesting to see how star power matches up with team defense in the playoffs.

Brooklyn has arguably three of the top-five offensive players in the game, and even great defense can still result in them dropping 30+ points each. Having three guys that can go get 30 each night is a headache for opposing coaches, but offense is not the only part of basketball. At the end of the game, especially in the playoffs, it comes down to who can get a stop, not who can get a bucket. It will also be interesting to see how Brooklyn defends Embiid and Giannis.

Are they going to bring the double team or are they just going to let them do what they want and leave it to the role players to win the game? Either way, the Nets will try to force the ball out of their hands as much as possible. I have been waiting for the playoffs to start since the beginning of the season, like any other avid NBA fan. Now that LeBron James is out of the East, this conference is totally wide open and anything can happen in the upcoming postseason.

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer.