Being listed as an underdog should be motivation for a Knicks team that has fought hard all season to earn the No. 1 seed. 2. To get to this point they had to overcome major obstacles, such as injuries to key players.
They are battle-tested and coach Tom Thibodeau will prepare them. But a little more material on the bulletin board never hurts, which New York received in the form of some comments made by 76ers backup center Paul Reed.
During an appearance on Run It Back on FanDuel TV, Reed talked about the 76ers wanting to face the Knicks in the first round. He said they are the easiest matchups, which has some truth considering the other team the 76ers could have been paired with is the Boston Celtics.
Alas, no matter how Reed intended it, it comes off as trash talk and shade thrown at his opponents. It’s something Knicks fans have been upset about on social media, but the team’s players aren’t focused.
During a press conference Thursday, center Isaiah Hartenstein was asked about comments made by Reed. It should come as no surprise that he doesn’t pay much attention to them, instead focusing on his team.
“That’s what podcasts do, they make you feel comfortable and then people just say s–t. We’re focused on us: Whatever comments they have, they’ll have,” Hartenstein said, via Knicks Videos on X.