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The New York Knicks will hoist their first NBA championship banner in 53 years tonight and then open their season against a primary threats to their title defense.
The Philadelphia 76ers with new acquisitions LeBron James and Jaylen Brown will be at Madison Square Garden to face the reigning champs in a game tipping off at 7 p.m. on NBC and Peacock. The 76ers complete their starting five with 2023 MVP Joel Embiid, All-Star Tyrese Maxey and rising second-year player VJ Edgecombe.
The Knicks have a returning core of NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, playoff hero OG Anunoby and veteran leaders Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges.
New York is seeking to become the first repeat champion since Golden State in 2017-18. The Knicks became the eighth franchise to win an NBA title in the past eight seasons since then. None of the past seven champions advanced to the NBA Finals in the following season.
NBC and Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the 2026-2027 season across its three marquee nights of the week: Sunday Night Basketball (beginning Jan. 24, 2027); Peacock NBA Monday (beginning Oct. 26); and Coast 2 Coast Tuesday (beginning Oct. 27).
By trading for Brown and signing James, the 76ers are trying to change a narrative of coming up short in the playoffs. Philadelphia’s most recent appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals was in 2001 and its last championship was in 1983.
In six of the past nine seasons, the 76ers were eliminated in the second round, including last year’s sweep by the Knicks.
“I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round,” said James, who has made the conference finals 12 times.
James said helping the 76ers win a title will be the last goal of an illustrious career that began 23 years ago. He joins a team of several stars in their prime. Brown is coming off his best season with career highs in scoring (28.7 points per game), rebounds (6.9 per game) and assists (5.1 per game), and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP has played in an NBA-high 142 playoff games since joining the league in 2016.
Maxey averaged career highs in scoring (28.3) and assists (6.6) last season, and Embiid returned from missing 44 regular-season games with various injuries and an emergency appendectomy to lead the 76ers past the Celtics in the first round by averaging 28 points in the last four games of the series. Edgecombe, the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, led rookies with 35 minutes per game and was third in scoring at 16 points per game.
The Knicks return nearly the entire roster that won the championship over the San Antonio Spurs in five games, closing a 16-3 playoff run that included sweeps of Philadelphia and Cleveland.
Nine of the the team’s top 10 leaders in playoff minutes are back with backup center Mitchell Robinson as the only departure. Andre Drummond was signed to replace Robinson.
There are still several questions looming about the future of this year’s team. The Knicks announced Oct. 9 that all contract extension talks have been tabled until later in the season. Towns has been frustrated by trying to nail down a deal beyond a player option next summer. “Simply put, I want to do something to keep the team together and can work with the Knicks and also values me,” Towns said. “And none of those things are close to happening.”
Hart, who is playing with a team option for next season, said, “You don’t want that trickling into the season because whenever there’s uncertainty, there’s going to be a lot of questions.” Key bench player Miles ‘Deuce” McBride said he was “disappointed” to enter the final year of his contract without an extension.
The NBA is back on NBC and Peacock for the 2026-27 season with 100 regular-season games across its three marquee nights of the week: Peacock NBA Monday, beginning Oct. 26; Coast 2 Coast Tuesday, beginning Oct. 27; and Sunday Night Basketball, beginning Jan. 24, 2027.
You can see the full schedule of 2026-27 NBA games airing on NBC, Peacock, NBCSN and Telemundo here.
Peacock is available across a variety of devices. To get started, find or download the Peacock application on your device or head directly to PeacockTV.com to create a Peacock account. Then, you’re ready to watch!
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