Sixers backup center Paul Reed lobbed the first verbal stone ahead of their first-round playoff series against the Knicks.
Reed made it clear when asked Thursday whether the Sixers felt urgency to win their play-in game the previous night against the Heat to avoid playing the top-seeded Celtics in the first round.
“Oh man, I feel like we ain’t ducking no smoke, but yeah, we wanted the Knicks matchup, of course. That’s the easier team, I guess,” Reed said during an appearance Thursday on the “Run It Back” podcast.
“But it’s gonna be fun. We match up pretty well with them. They got a great guard [in Jalen Brunson]. We got a great guard [in Tyrese Maxey]. We also got Joel [Embiid], an MVP. … He’s one of the most unstoppable guys in the league right now.”
The 76ers edged the Heat on Wednesday night in Philadelphia for the right to face the second-seeded Knicks in the first round.
Miami, without the injured Jimmy Butler, now must beat the Bulls to secure the No. 8 seed for the right to face league-best Boston.
Reed’s comments have a logical basis, as the Celtics are the NBA title favorites after finishing 14 games above the Knicks in the standings.
Still, describing the Knicks as an “easier” opponent turns his quotes into potential bulletin-board material.
“It’s his thoughts at the end of the day. Just focus on what we’ve got to do,” Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein said. “I think that’s what podcasts kind of do: They just make sure 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. We’re focused on our team. We’re focused on getting better every day and getting focused on the Sixers.”
The Knicks took an opposite approach to potential postseason foes, pushing to secure 50 wins and the No. 2 spot in the East, even if it meant facing the Sixers or the Heat in the first round.
“Yeah, that’s kind of how we are as a team and organization,” Hartenstein said. “We just go day by day, try to win as much as possible, and whoever we get, we’re confident in our team. We’re not really scared of nobody.”
