As NBA playoff series go, the Philadelphia-Brooklyn head-to-head has already thrown up more than its share of comedy.
Under the guidance of Kiwi general manager Sean Marks, the Nets snatched first bragging rights, upsetting the higher-ranked 76ers in the opener to seize home advantage.
Philadelphia evened the ledger in the second encounter, with centre Joel Embiid somehow staying on the court, despite a vicious elbow that nearly decapitated counterpart Jarrett Allen.
- Kiwi Steven Adams feeling "pissed off"
- Adams bagged for flattening rival with brutal screen
- Meet the NBA star who can beat Steven Adams in a fight
Almost invisible in game one, Aussie point guard Ben Simmons provided a 'triple double' of 18 points/10 rebounds/12 assists, but Nets journeyman Jared Dudley threw shade at Simmons, describing him as "just average" in half-court offence.
"It's coming from Jared Dudley, c'mon," Simmons responded.
But Brooklyn fans backed their guy up, producing missing-person posters that described Simmons' identifying characteristics as "just average" and asked that he be returned to celebrity girlfriend Kendall Jenner.
Simmons should have silenced his critics in Saturday's game three (NZT), scoring a game-high 31 points in a 131-115 win to regain home-court advantage in the best-of-seven-game series - but maybe Brooklyn fans had the last laugh.
As the lead stretched over the final moments, someone farted near the end of the Sixers bench, where an injured Embiid was seen to protest the repugnant smell.
Maybe it was a smelly teammate, maybe it was a mischievous Nets ticketholder... there's still plenty of fun left in this series.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, underdogs San Antonio retained their home advantage over second-ranked Denver Nuggets, prevailing 118-108, behind guard Derek White's career-high 36 points.
Newshub.
