The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 123-117 on Wednesday night.
Because Brooklyn was without Kevin Durant and James Harden there weren’t many significant takeaways from the outing, but Kyrie Irving still felt like something deserved mentioning after the game.
In the lead-up to this showdown between the East’s two best teams, there was a lot of chatter about Philly’s defense.
Ben Simmons, specifically, completely trashed the Nets and suggested that his squad’s defensive capabilities should not be underrated.
After Wednesday’s game, Irving, who is no stranger to telling it how it is, decided to get very blunt about his perception of the Sixers’ defense.
“They are who they say they are,” he said.
“Picking up the pressure on the defensive end and playing a lot through Joel and making the right basketball plays. They play hard… They are who they say they are.”
Charissa Thompson on her private photo leak. https://t.co/yEDJupxou3
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 16, 2021
Philly gave up 33 points in the fourth quarter of the game, but that isn’t indicative of the team’s defensive prowess. Their 107.0 defensive rating is second in the NBA, and between Simmons and Joel Embiid they can guard pretty much anyone on the floor.
Obviously a fully healthy Nets team will be tough to handle, but if anyone can get the job done in the playoffs, it’s going to be these Sixers.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
