Paul Reed Hands The Knicks Prime Bulletin Board Material

Paul Reed made a mistake. One of the major rules in sports is never to give your opponent bulletin board material. We all remember Orlando Arcia setting off Bryce Harper with "Atta Boy Harper." You just don't do it. well going into round 1, Sixers backup big Paul Reed already broke that Golden Rule. Today, he said that the Sixers wanted to play the Knicks because they are the easier team.

First off, what he said is just objectively true. The Knicks are easier than the Celtics. That is nothing against the Knicks, but the Celtics are on another level than anyone this season.

You just don't say that though. There is no reason to give your opponent any extra motivation heading into a tough series. Especially not when you are a role player.

Some people can get away with it. Jimmy Rollins dissed the Mets back in 2007. But Jimmy was able to back it up. Jimmy is a star. he has the chance to put his money where his mouth is. Reed is going to play 10 minutes a game.

It reminds me of Garret Stubbs, a guy who never saw the field in the playoffs, saying that he would jump in the Diamondbacks Pool. If you aren't a player with a chance to back up what you say, don't say anything negative about the other team. Not even in passing.

Reed didn't mean it as a diss, but the Knicks will take it as one. At that level, you take anything you can get for extra motivation.

There was a time Jim Schwartz said something mostly complimentary to DK Metcalf by telling him he is not Megatron yet. That was Schwartz trying to say Metclaf could be on that level though. it didn't matter. Metcalf took it as a slight and put up 177 yards on the Eagles.

Our own Ricky Bo was the victim of this mistake. He called the Marlins Bottom Feeders during a Phillies Post-Game Show. That became a rallying cry for Miami as they made a push to make the playoffs.

You may think they are pro athletes and don't need motivation. But they do. Michael Jordan did it all the time. To the point that it became a meme with him two decades later when he talked about taking little slights personally on The Last Dance. And the Knicks will certainly hear about this, and take it personally.

Will it make a difference here? Who knows. But it won't help, and it is even worse coming from someone who will barely play like Paul Reed.

The series is set. It will be Sixers vs Knicks in round 1. They survived the Play-In Tournament and beat the Heat.

Survive is the keyword there. Their game vs the Heat was in a word, ugly. Joel Embiid struggled to get going until the 4th quarter. Tyrese Maxey struggled for chunks of the game. And the Heats' Zone D suffocated them. The Sixers turned it over 16 times and had only 39 points at halftime.

But a big game from Nico Batum got them back in it after an early deficit. 20 points, including 6 for 10 from deep. That push from him erased the Heats' lead in the 3rd quarter, and the Sixers just held on in a close game from there.

It gets no easier for the Sixers now that they are actually in the playoffs though. Because up next, is a 7-game series against the 2-seed Knicks.

Jalen Brunson has turned into a superstar for them. They added OG Anunoby and Donte DiVincenzo to that starting group as well. But they are without Julius Randle.

We hoped Embiid was going into the playoffs healthy. But we saw a sluggish Embiid in the Heat game. He still managed 23 points and 15 rebounds, but it was not the Embiid we are used to. It wasn't even the Embiid we got in the 5 games since he got back.

Can the Sixers take down the Knicks to advance to the 2nd round? Will Embiid's domination of the Knicks continue? Should we be concerned about how good this Knicks team is when OG Anunoby is on the court?

The series tips off on Saturday Night at Madison Square Garden. But before game 1 begins, let's take a closer look at this series, and the history between these two teams.

The 2nd round has been a major issue for the Sixers. The 1st round? Not so much. In the Embiid era, they are 2o-9 in the 1st round. Take away the bubble year, where they had no Ben Simmons and the team was a complete disaster, they are 20-5. Even counting that season, that is a record of .689. 

Obviously, it is a different situation this year. They are the lower seed, and they will have to win on the road. But their record in the 1st round is on their side here.

Speaking of good records, Embiid's against the Knicks is sparkling. He has played them 19 times and only lost 3 of those. A record of 16-3.

To be fair, the Knicks were a mediocre team for most of that period. Since Brunson joined the team, Embiid is 2-2 against the Knicks. And the most recent game was a blowout loss where no one besides Embiid and Maxey scored double-digit points.

In those last 4 games, Embiid scored 32.8 per game. So we can safely expect big numbers from again.

It is not just the players competing though, it is also the coaches. And Tom Thibodeau does not have the best history in the playoffs. In his career, he is 31-44 in the playoffs. Compare that to Nick Nurse, who is 25-16, with a Championship.

Nick Nurse has established his style can work in the playoffs. But it has always been a stumbling block for Thibodeau. He has had a ton of regular-season success in his career. And he deserves credit for turning the Knicks into one of the most competitive teams in the league. But the playoff ghost hangs over his head, and will until he leads his team to success in the playoffs.

om Thibodeau

Sixers fans all know how great of a record the Sixers have when Embiid plays. But the Knicks also dealt with injuries. OG Anunoby was traded to the Knicks mid-season, and missed time with an injury. But when he plays, they are 20-3. 

The combo of him and Brunson make the Knicks an elite team. Since OG returned from injury in Mid-March, they are 8-1. So while we talk about the Sixers going into the playoffs hot thanks to getting Embiid back, the Knicks are in the same boat thanks to getting OG back.

Embiid was not good in the Play-In game. Yes he scored 23, but that was through sheer force of will, not good play. He shot 6 of 17 from the field, good for a shooting percentage of just 35.3%

If they are going to win, they need Embiid at his best. As much as I love Batum, he won't give you 20 points every night. The path to winning any series is getting 30 points per night from the big guy. You have to hope it was just an off night and not the sign of a larger problem.

To his credit, he showed up more in quarter 4, with a couple of 3s, and 11 total points. They still need more going forward.