The Brooklyn Nets came into their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers knowing that they were going to have a size disadvantage. And so did BetOnline customers. But the Nets have simply been embarrassed on the boards in the process of dropping the first two games.

So obviously major adjustments are in order as these teams approach Game 3, which begins at 7:30 PM ET at Barclays Center.

With Joel Embiid, the Sixers have someone who may win the NBA's MVP award. And surprisingly, the Nets have not done a horrible job against him. Embiid has been held well below his season average, and committed eight turnovers in Game 2. Naturally Nets coach Jacque Vaughn was rolling the dice with his defensive strategy. They paid out the other end, as Philly has more offensive outlets. Through the first two games, Tyrese Maxey has 46 points (33 in Game 2) and Tobias Harris has 41.

Nic Claxton has been very preoccupied with slowing Embiid down. His offense has suffered. Claxton was held scoreless in Game 2, and the Nets are talking about getting him more involved. It is important that Brooklyn be able to win the three-point shootout. But Joe Harris, who has been one of the best long-distance shooters in league over the last few years, has made just one triple in 27 minutes thus far. If the Nets can put a smaller lineup out there with a lot of effectiveness, it may draw Embiid out on defense, and may indeed compel Philly coach Doc Rivers to change strategy.

In the NBA playoff betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, the Sixers are laying points on the road:

Philadelphia 76ers -4.5
Brooklyn Nets +4.5

Over 209.5 Points -110
Under 209.5 Points -110

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We are going to bring up two things that you may find astonishing. One of them is that James Harden has not taken a free throw yet. It's the first time he has not gotten to the line in consecutive games since 2010. That's a long time, and remember that free throws are possibly the thing he does best. So perhaps he is avoiding contact, and doing it for a reason. We'll see.

Another thing is that Philadelphia's edge on the offensive boards has been so considerable that they have a 39-3 margin in second-chance points. That kind of disparity hasn't been seen in the playoffs in recent memory.

And there are certainly reasons for it.

We're not going to sit here and suggest it is going to regress back to the mean in Game 3, but it would be irresponsible to suggest there aren't going to be major adjustments as to how the Nets go about blocking out. In a way, it is kind of shocking that the Nets only missed the cover by two points in Game 2.

It might be safe to expect that a return home would produce more energy, which should help Brooklyn with those "hustle" points. They'll also have to hope for a little better luck when Embiid goes to the free throw line, because he has made all 19 of his attempts.

No, the Nets haven't shown anything particularly special as a home dog (7-8 ATS), but there's no reason not to expect that they are going to put forth a better effort here. Keep a close eye on whether Harden goes out of his way to draw fouls. The Nets have been pretty good in that department. Let's take the points.

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