As I stated in my Game 3 preview, no NBA team has ever lost a series after securing a 3-0 lead. So the question now is not whether the Philadelphia 76ers will advance past the Brooklyn Nets, but whether they can do so as quickly as they can to ensure they’re as well-rested and healthy as possible heading into a second-round series against Boston.
The health part of that equation is being tested by Brooklyn’s strategy of “We can’t beat Joel Embiid, so let’s beat him up.” At every opportunity, they’ve been bodying him, giving him forearm shivers to the back, and just generally trying to make him more worried about protecting his body than playing a basketball game.