"This is a real rivalry" - Jay Williams excited for the matchups between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets just pulled off one of the biggest mid-season trades in recent memory. James Harden is now a Sixer and Ben Simmons is a member of the Nets.
In the most recent episode of ESPN's "Get Up," ESPN analyst Jay Williams spoke about his excitement for the first matchup between the two teams.
Williams and Mike Greenberg talked about the trade between Philadelphia and Brooklyn on Thursday's deadline. Philadelphia sent Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Harden and Paul Millsap.
Williams is excited about the possibility of a new rivalry between the two teams. The Sixers and the Nets are both in the Atlantic Division, which means they play each other four times in the regular season.
Their first three matchups this season were very exciting and the fourth will surely serve as a dynamic finish to their regular season battles.
"The fact that Ben Simmons didn't want to be in Philly. All Philly fans hate him. Joel Embiid hates him. The way James Harden got himself out of Brooklyn. That scenario you just watched with Kevin Durant not choosing him, choosing Rudy Gobert over James Harden for the All-Star reserves draft list."
LeBron: "He hasn't played, is he healthy?"
Chuck: "He got traded, he's healthy now!"
This Harden talk was unreal ðŸ˜
(via @NBAonTNT) https://t.co/CkCFayTzwC
I mean, come on with the Kyrie Irving drama. With the GMs Daryl Morey and Sean Marks. This is a real rivalry and we're gonna get our first taste March 10th."
NBA fans will surely tune in on March 10th as the Philadelphia 76ers face the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. It will be Ben Simmons' first game in Philly since requesting a trade. With the game being on the road, Kyrie Irving will be available to team up with Kevin Durant and Simmons for Brooklyn.
Who won the trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets?
Now that the dust has settled, who won the deal between the Sixers and Nets? It's still hard to tell because of the uncertain situations plaguing both teams. On the surface, the Sixers look like clear winners, upgrading from Seth Curry to James Harden.
Curry is averaging a solid 15 PPG with 4 APG on efficient 48/40/88 shooting splits, but he can't match Harden's undeniable star power. The superstar guard is averaging 22.5 PPG on top of a whopping 10 APG.
The Sixers have been playing great basketball in Ben Simmons' absence, with Joel Embiid emerging as a top MVP candidate. Harden and Embiid could form a deadly pick-and-roll duo. Add in Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey as their third and fourth offensive options and the Sixers project to have a dominant attack.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn has more issues that need to be resolved. Simmons hasn't played yet this season, so he will need to get in playing shape first. Kevin Durant is also still injured and the unvaccinated Kyrie Irving won't be able to play in home games.
It will be an interesting second half for the Eastern Conference. Good teams are featured from the first seed all the way down to the 10th seed. In addition, there's a real and exciting possibility that the Sixers and Nets meet in a seven-game series in the playoffs.