The Philadelphia 76ers got the first-round playoff matchup they wanted by winning their Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, and Paul Reed is not bothering to downplay it.
The 76ers earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 105-104 win over Miami at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. By avoiding a second play-in game, the Sixers will now face the No. 2-seed New York Knicks in the first round. Had they lost, they would have had to win another play-in game for a chance to take on the No. 1-seed Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.
During a Thursday appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back,” Reed was asked if the 76ers felt a sense of urgency to win on Wednesday night so they could avoid the Celtics. Reed admitted that believes the Knicks are “the easier team.”
“I feel like we ain’t ducking smoke, but yeah we wanted the Knicks matchup, of course. That’s the easier team, I guess,” Reed said. “But, you know, it’s gonna be fun. We match up pretty well with them.”
"We ain't ducking no smoke, but yeah we wanted the #Knicks matchup, that's the easier team…" @Bball_paul on why winning last night's game, and avoiding the #Celtics was so important 👀 pic.twitter.com/okdBDxpp5w
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 18, 2024
Reed paused and smiled immediately after he made the “easier team” comment. He probably knew right away that he had created a headline and potentially given the Knicks some added motivation.
Of course, Reed was just stating the obvious. The Celtics went 64-18 in the regular season and finished 14 games ahead of the Knicks in the East. There is no question New York would be an easier matchup for the 76ers or any other team. Most players probably would not have come out and said it the way Reed did, though.
