By admin 
After an extended wait, the NBA finally released its schedule for the season opener on October 20, which features a massive triple-header headlined by the 7 p.m. clash between the reigning champions, the New York Knicks, and the league’s latest super team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
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OPENING WEEK IS MUST-SEE
NBA Champions raise a banner. Superstars debut with new teams. Rivalries pick up where they left off.
The 2026-27 NBA season tips off Tuesday, October 20. Watch all the action on NBC/Peacock, ESPN and Prime.
NBA Schedule Release presented by… pic.twitter.com/xm6FmyJjyK
– NBA (@NBA) August 11, 2026
All eyes will undoubtedly be on the mega Eastern Conference showdown between the Knicks, which had an unbelievable playoff run earlier this year which they capped off with a 4-1 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, and the Sixers, which had an even more remarkable offseason in which they acquired two legitimate gamechangers: 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and all-time great LeBron James.
Speaking on “TODAY,” Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson said he and the Knicks recognized the difficulty the Sixers now pose but asserted that they are up to the challenge.
A far different team
Not long ago, these two squads met in the second round of the playoffs, in a lopsided series the Knicks swept. In fact, the Blue & Orange were so dominant that they won by an average margin of 22.3 points, proving that their team was a tier above the Sixers. Fast forward to today, the Sixers squad that the Knicks will be taking on a few months from now is far different from the one they ran rings around.
With JB and Bron joining forces with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Anfernee Simons, Philly is expected to give opposing teams nightmares with their immense firepower.
“Fireworks for sure. I mean, they’re going to be electric,” Brunson
“They’re going to be definitely a team to keep your eye on. I mean, they reloaded this year, so it will be a tough test, but we’ll be ready,” he added.
The Knicks’ core, though, has remained intact. And although they lost backup center Mitchell Robinson, who moved to the Boston Celtics, they replaced him with former All-Star Andre Drummond.
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A new powerhouse
As soon as LeBron announced he was going to play for Philly, many fans and pundits immediately installed the Sixers as the team to beat in the East. It’s hard to argue with that either, given that the last time the NBA had seen this many talented players wearing the same jersey was in 2016, when Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors.
Brunson, though, said they aren’t going to worry about the Sixers. Instead, they will focus on what they can control: their preparation for the upcoming season.
“I mean, they have a lot of firepower, but we’re going to focus on what we have to do, and we’ll see what happens,” the former Villanova ace said.
One popular broadcaster who isn’t convinced of the Sixers’ legitimacy as a contender is Stephen A. Smith. A few weeks ago, he even declared that Philly isn’t the clear-cut favorite that many are making them out to be.
“I got news for you. They are not the favorites to win the championship. Some people have them as the favorites to come out of the East. Some people have the Knicks. But nobody has Philadelphia as the clear-cut favorite to win it all,” Smith proclaimed. “You can make a legitimate argument that Philadelphia is only the third or fourth-best team in the NBA.”
This much is true: the East will be a dogfight. While New York remains at the top, Philly, Detroit, Miami, and several others are chomping at the bit, eager to take down the Knicks.
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This story was originally published August 11, 2026 at 11:11 PM.