Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction: Will the first game of the playoffs also remain with the home team?

In this regular season, Philadelphia had an easy game against Brooklyn, winning four times out of four games. Will the first game of the first round of the playoffs also remain with the Seven-Sixers?

The 76ers enter the playoffs as the third team in the Eastern Conference. That's probably not only the team's final regular-season position but also, if you could call it that, their favorable position. It's unlikely anyone can compete with Milwaukee or Boston in the East this season.

Philadelphia finished the regular season with a 52-30 record. The team finished just 14th on the offensive side of the ball with 115.2 points per game. On the defensive side, they finished third. As for the Phils' weaknesses, we should probably talk about their bench, which is imbalanced on the defensive end. But the team's starting five is very powerful, especially when Tyrese Maxey appears in the backcourt with James Harden.

The Nets experienced a significant change throughout the championship. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving left the team. Despite these disappointing developments, Brooklyn didn't fall apart and made the playoffs, finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference. That's not surprising, considering the quality of the newcomers - Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges just recently won the Western Conference with Phoenix. At the same time, Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie reached the Western Conference Finals with Dallas last season. Overall, though, it's clear that the level of Jacques Vaughan's team is still quite limited. Offensively, the Nets are only 20th in the regular season (113.4 points per game) and 10th in defense (112.5).

The first game of a playoff series decides very little. It's unlikely that either team's defense will work perfectly from the first playoff meeting. Also, we're betting with a plus handicap on Brooklyn. The Nets faced Philadelphia in the first round of the postseason a few years ago and then won the first game on the road, although they lost the next four meetings. Again, nothing is decided in the first game, and the Nets could underestimate their opponent, for example.