With the Nets an overwhelming underdog in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, the most important Brooklyn storyline centered on one question:

Is Mikal Bridges really as good as he's shown since joining the team?

Bridges has flirted with “star” status since the Nets acquired him at the deadline, averaging 26.1 points on 48/38/89 shooting splits over 26 games.

But for a player who played third-fiddle to Devin Booker and Chris Paul for years in Phoenix, the questions persisted heading into the playoffs: Would that production hold up when the lights are brightest? Or when a team had a full week to gameplan for him as a top option?

The Nets fell 121-101 in Game 1 Saturday, but Bridges rebuffed those questions in dramatic fashion. The Philly native poured in 23 points on 12-of-16 shooting in the first half, finishing with a game-high 30.

The Villanova product navigated to his spots with ease – probing to the mid-range, pulling up in transition or driving and finishing at the rim.

https://streamable.com/93ktvh

Bridges drew a collective gasp from the Philly crowd when he blew by James Harden and threw down a vicious slam in the second quarter:

The 26-year-old's elite performance was the only thing that kept Brooklyn in the game amid a 13-of-21 three-point explosion in the first half by Philadelphia. However, Bridges wasn't concerned with analyzing his high-level efficiency following a loss:

“None of that s*** matters when you lose,” he said. “It feels good to make some shots, but I'd rather miss shots and win, so it's whatever.”

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Philadelphia gave Bridges star treatment in the second half, blitzing him on pick-and-rolls to force the ball to Brooklyn's supporting cast. He attempted just two field goals and a pair of free throws in the second half:

“Yeah, they were blitzing. So I was just trying to make the right reads,” Bridges said postgame. “Sometimes trying to break it off, but just trying to make the right read. Play 4-on-3 on the other end, so credit to them.”

The Nets' secondary scorers were unable to capitalize on those advantages. Brooklyn mustered just 43 points on 15-of-32 shooting (46.9 percent) with eight turnovers in the second half.

Head coach Jacque Vaughn's squad struggled to finish defensive possessions during the loss. Philadelphia shot 21-of-43 (48.8 percent) from three while holding a 15-4 offensive rebounding advantage.

And Vaughn identified the Nets' inability to push the pace as the main reason for Bridges' low second-half shot total:

“I thought the game just slowed down in the second half a little bit and that was the biggest difference. For us, we have to keep this thing fast-paced and it starts with stops,” the coach said. “I thought he had a great first half for us, set the tone, really getting to his spots and showing an array of shots. It's on me to continue to get the ball to him and also continue to have pace where they're not bogging him down and holding him and grabbing him and letting him not play with freedom of movement.”

Bridges and company will return to Wells Fargo Center Monday in a critical matchup if they hope to keep the series competitive. The Nets may have become an even bigger longshot to advance with the Game 1 loss, but Bridges looked the part as a high-volume scorer in a playoff setting.

For a team that was criticized for not landing a star after trading away Durant, that's a win.