Getty Paul Reed of the Philadelphia 76ers
After years of looking for an adequate backup for Joel Embiid, it appears the Philadelphia 76ers have found one in Paul Reed. Better yet, Reed himself has indicated that he would like to stay. That is, if the Sixers want to keep him around.
Reed told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he would like to return to the Sixers if they want him back going forward.
“If they would like to keep me, then I would like to come back for sure,” Reed told Pompey. “I really would like to come back.”
Reed has stepped up when the Sixers have asked more from him in the playoffs, having started for an injured Embiid in their series-clinching win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 and their series-opening win against the Boston Celtics. He told Pompey that he’s not surprised at all by his success.
“This is stuff I already knew about myself,” Reed said. “You know, I’m ready to step up to the moment, be clutch when I need to. And, like a lot of people, pressure can bust pipes. But for me, I feel like pressure turns me into a diamond.”
With the opportunities the Sixers have given him, Reed says that this has been a year of growth for him.
“This year, I feel like I grew the most out of any of my years being in the NBA.”
Doc Rivers Sends Message to Sixers After Taking Series Lead
Though the Sixers have a 3-2 lead over the Celtics, head coach Doc Rivers sent a message to the Sixers that they still have to complete the task of finishing their division rival off.
“Listen, we all look for stuff. We openly talk about it as a group. What do they have to lean on to be confident about? Well, they’ve done this, and so they’re gonna come in with confidence. We gotta be ready for that. You still gotta get to four. No matter what. No matter how it is, you gotta get to four. We haven’t done anything, and we talked about that a lot,” Rivers said, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire.
Rivers added that the playoffs bring “emotional terrorism” and singled out Reed for his ability to endure such an obstacle.
“It is an important word for every team,” said Rivers. “You see it throughout teams, throughout moments, getting over a mistake. Paul Reed had a great play (in Game 5). He bobbled the ball, clear turnover, should’ve been, but he got to the ball first.”
PJ Tucker Sends Message to Sixers Ahead of Game 6
After beating the Celtics in Game 5, Tucker revealed what he told teammates going into what could be their series-clinching win.
“Even keeled, humble, hungry, and do the same things we’ve been doing,” Tucker said, per Carlin. “I told everybody, we’re not excited. We expect to win, but at the same time, we respect our opponents, and we’re gonna come out and play hard because we know they are.”
Tucker knows the Sixers have homecourt, but he knows the Celtics will not roll over going in.
“It feels good to get a chance to close out at home, but it’s not over,” Tucker added. “We still gotta play. They’re gonna come, they’re gonna give us everything they got, and it’s just one of those games that it’s gonna be emotional, but we got to keep our heads and stay focused and keep our mind on the goal.”