The drama between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets hit a new level in Saturday’s Game 4. Things were already tense between these teams when Jared Dudley described 76ers star Ben Simmons as an “average” player in the half-court — an accusation that Simmons responded to with a 31-point performance in Game 3.
Of course, 33-year-old Dudley isn’t the level of player that Simmons is, but that won’t stop a guy from impacting the game with his trash-talk. They got tangled up during a collision, and things even spilled into the stands.
As a result of this little brouhaha, Dudley and Jimmy Butler were ejected, and you have to think that’s a winning trade-off for Brooklyn.
Role players talking like starters: You either love it or you hate it. Still, when Dudley can get himself ejected along with a core player for the opposition, that’s some sneaky pest work there.
The 76ers were able to hang on for the win, however, and now they have a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Nets. Maybe next time, Dudley will need to take out not one but two of Philly’s best players to put this matchup on equal footing.
For now, Simmons and the 76ers get the last laugh.
