Doc Rivers was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers last year on 16 May despite having two more seasons remaining on his five-year contract. His time with the team came to a screeching halt after they lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals. For young players like Tyrese Maxey and Paul Reed, Rivers was the only coach they ever knew in the league. After all, he had been their coach since their rookie years. Fast forward to 26 January this year, Rivers was appointed the Milwaukee Bucks‘ HC replacing Adrian Griffin.

Rivers’ first game with Milwaukee was on the 29th against the Denver Nuggets. His 12th game will be played against his former team. This will be Rivers’ first match against the Sixers ever since he was fired. There will undoubtedly be an array of mixed emotions on the floor tonight. For Paul Reed, he will be taking on his NBA career’s first coach and he is more excited than anything else.

Reed is confident of what he can pull off tonight and even suggests a tint of grudge he will bring to the hardwood. “It’s gonna be fun! I’m gonna have a chip on my shoulder for sure,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. Reed is positive that his former coach will be shaking in his boots tonight because. “He trusted me to play last year in some big playoff games. So he knows what I can do. So I feel like he’s probably going to be more worried about me than I am about him,” he added.

The former NBA G-League MVP had an immaculate run in the playoffs last season that poised him as a key piece in the Sixers roster.

Paul Reed’s clutch performance

In his third season in the NBA, Reed cemented his name as a reliable center for the Sixers. During the playoffs, star player Joel Embiid was sidelined for two games due to a knee injury. At the moment of truth, Reed stepped in and displayed his prowess. In Game 1 of the team’s first-round series against the Celtics, he posted 10 points and 13 rebounds. In this game, he dropped four clutch free throws, which proved to be critical in winning the match. In Game 4 against the Nets, he contributed 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

In the 2023 playoffs, Reed averaged 4.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. This season, he has taken over as the starter, replacing Embiid who is recovering from a meniscus surgery in the knee. The 6’9″ center has been averaging 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

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