There were plenty of hugs in the Nets locker room Tuesday night after they were eliminated in five games by the Sixers, and more hugs on Wednesday when they gathered their belongings in Brooklyn in preparation for the offseason.
There were congratulations for reaching the postseason for the first time in four years. But players and coaches alike left with the realization the Nets have ample work to do if they are going to be one of the NBA’s elite teams any time soon.
Getting swept four straight games by the Sixers after winning Game 1 in Philadelphia was “humbling,” guard Joe Harris admitted. It also was enlightening.
“We realize what an elite team plays like in the playoffs,” Harris said after Philadelphia whipped the Nets 122-100 at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. “Experience is the best teacher. This is a value-learning experience and should help us going forward.”
This is what the Nets learned. They need to get bigger and more versatile. They can’t afford to be so dependent on 3-point shooting, especially in the playoffs, where scouting and adjustments play such a big role.
The Sixers won this series by beating up the Nets inside in Games 2 and 4, and also by beating them from the outside in Game 3, when 7-foot center Joel Embiid didn’t play. Game 5 featured just about everything in the Sixers’ arsenal — outside shooting and inside muscle.
The Nets didn’t have another option when they struggled with their 3-point shooting. Harris is the prime example of that. He was the league’s best 3-point shooter during the season at 47%. He made just 19% (4-of-21) of his 3-pointers in the series. As a team, the Nets shot 32%. Some of it was simply missed open shots. Much of it was the defensive schemes imposed by the Sixers.
“The defense on Joe Harris really slowed us down,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “He’s our engine.”