Knicks' Josh Hart Responds to 76ers' Reed: 'Don't Give a F--k About What He Said'
April 19, 2024
After Paul Reed made himself public enemy No. 1 for the New York Knicks leading into their playoff matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, Josh Hart had a frank response to the big man's comments.
On FanDuel TV's Run It Back, Reed said the Sixers wanted to play the Knicks in the first round because they are "the easier team" than if they had gone up against the Boston Celtics.
Run It Back @RunItBackFDTV"We ain't ducking no smoke, but yeah we wanted the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Knicks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Knicks</a> matchup, that's the easier team..." <a href="https://twitter.com/Bball_paul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bball_paul</a> on why winning last night's game, and avoiding the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Celtics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Celtics</a> was so important 👀 <a href="https://t.co/okdBDxpp5w">pic.twitter.com/okdBDxpp5w</a>
Asked about that comment on Friday, Hart simply said he doesn't "give a f--k about what" Reed had to say.
To be fair to Reed, most would consider a series against the Knicks to be "easier" than one against the Celtics. Boston won 14 more games than New York in the regular season (64 to 50), tied the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors for the third-best net rating in NBA history and is entering the playoffs at virtually full strength.
The Knicks did get OG Anunoby back from his elbow injury for the final six games of the regular season, but they won't have Julius Randle after he elected to have season-ending surgery on his dislocated shoulder.
If the Sixers can get Joel Embiid playing at the MVP level he showed before suffering a meniscus injury on Jan. 30, they have the potential to compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference.
That is a potentially big question mark after Embiid looked rusty for most of the play-in tournament win against the Miami Heat. He finally came to life in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his 23 points in the comeback victory.
Hart is right not to give too much lip service to what Reed had to say. The Knicks can quiet everyone if they take care of business.
The Knicks won three of four regular-season meetings between the two teams, but three of those games came without Embiid available for the 76ers.
Game 1 of the Sixers-Knicks series will tipoff from Madison Square Garden on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.