The Knicks saw Paul Reed’s comments. Cue viral Stephen A. Smith clip: They don’t care.
Reed, a backup center on the Philadelphia 76ers team the Knicks will host in Game 1 of the playoffs on Saturday, went on a podcast after his Sixers beat the Miami Heat in a Play-In Tournament game Wednesday night.
By beating the Heat, the Sixers earned the right to face the Knicks in a No. 2 vs. No. 7 Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup in the first round.
They also avoided the East’s No. 1-seeded Boston Celtics, who now face the winner of Friday’s play-in finale between the Heat and Atlanta Hawks.
It all went according to plan, said Reed, who went on FanDuel’s NBA show “Run It Back” on Thursday to say his Sixers “wanted” the Knicks in the first round all along.
“I feel like we ain’t ducking no smoke, but yeah we wanted the Knicks matchup of course,” he said. “That’s the easier team, I guess, but it’s gonna be fine. We match up pretty well with them. They’ve got a great guard. We’ve got a great guard. We’ve also got Joel [Embiid] — the MVP. He’s one of the most unstoppable guys in the league right now, so they’re gonna have to send triple teams, and he’s gonna get everyone else involved for sure.”
Reed’s words were just another attempt at a distraction for a Knicks team laser-focused on securing the first of four victories needed to advance past the Sixers into the second round, where last season’s playoff run came to a halt.
“That’s his thoughts at the end of the day. We’re focused on what we’ve got to do,” starting center Isaiah Hartenstein said after Thursday’s practice. “That’s what podcasts do: They get you comfortable, and then people just say s–t. At the end of the day, we’re focused on us. Whatever comments they have, they have, but we’re focused on our team, focused on getting better every day and getting focused for the Sixers.”
“I don’t give a f–k about what he said,” Josh Hart added after Friday’s practice. “I could really care less.”
The Knicks won their season series against the Sixers, 3-1, though reigning league MVP Embiid only played in one of those games this season.
The Knicks are three-point favorites to protect home court and win Game 1 against the Sixers on Saturday.
They are locked into what’s happening on the court — not what someone has to say off the floor.
“[We are] focused and just eager to get things started,” said Jalen Brunson. “Very eager to get things started.”
