Throughout the 2026-27 NBA season, Jamal Crawford will analyze key moments and storylines around the league.

Here’s what he saw courtside at Madison Square Garden for Opening Night while announcing Sixers-Knicks on NBC.

Ring Night At MSG

My seasons with the Knicks taught me that New York fans are truth-tellers. There’s no filter to their thoughts or emotions. It’s why I thrived there, because I knew the fans were going to tell me how they felt, no matter what, even during the tough times.

Over 20 years later, it was surreal to watch a championship banner rise to the rafters with those same Knicks fans finally celebrating a title. It almost felt like they won the championship twice.

I’ve never seen The Garden so full over an hour before tip. It was like a Finals game on the floor, and you knew the who’s who of Knicks fans were all there in full force. It was ridiculous to see everyone who was there. I recorded video during the ceremony, and every person around me had their camera out, too.

What a moment 🥲

The @nyknicks' third championship banner is raised to the MSG rafters! pic.twitter.com/k4X4Q0dr2F

— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2026

It was electric, an energy I’ve never felt before a game. So many people who were part of the journey were showing their emotions. Fans in the stands were crying, William Wesley (Knicks Executive Vice President – Senior Basketball Advisor) had tears in his eyes, and even Tracy Morgan said he was going to cry.

They all knew this was a special moment. And I’m not sure they all thought they would actually see it happen. They wanted to believe, but they may not have thought they would see it in their lifetimes.

It was especially cool to see all the Knicks legends and their families involved. I can’t imagine what the night was like for the current Knicks players.

LeBron In Year 24

For the last month, I’ve been watching a lot of LeBron James highlights from his high school days. Especially his freshman and sophomore years. So, it was funny to go from that to watching him tip off his 24th season.

The biggest thing that stood out to me courtside was how invested he is in every single play. Not just when he’s directly involved on offense or defense; it’s his talking and his leadership. The way he watches on the bench is like a kid. And it’s similar to how he was in high school. He’s so invested in the game and not just punching the clock.

When the lights were going off and the Knicks were doing introductions, he was still warming up and practicing inside-hand finishes. I tapped my broadcast partner Reggie Miller and was like, “Look, he’s doing warmups with the lights off.”

He’s so locked in and so smart that he can play as long as he wants because his mind is still at a high level. His mindset is, “I’m going to show them that I’m different from everybody else. And I’m going to do the work I have to do for my body every single day to make sure I’m at this level.” His mind is still so engaged.

Plus, he’s in phenomenal shape. When Jaylen Brown threw him that alley-oop, there was no doubt in my mind if he was going to catch it. And that’s the first time I’ve ever been confident a player his age could do that. He even pointed to the air later in the game for a lob from Tyrese Maxey, and it was thrown too low. So, just the fact that he’s calling for lobs is crazy.

You would have to lower the hoop to 8 feet for me to still catch a lob.

This angle of Jaylen Brown's alley-oop to LeBron James has us reminiscing. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mV4H60a1qh

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 21, 2026

Jaylen’s Sixers Debut

Jaylen Brown didn’t come in with an ego for his Sixers debut. He came in knowing he’s one of the best players in the league, but he didn’t lead with that and say, “It has to go through me.”

Over the course of the game, they found mismatches and places for him to take control. And I saw their strategy. They had a lot of ball movement when they used LeBron as a point guard in halfcourt on the second side. They went pass, pass, LeBron would get it and go downhill, and now you make the read and get the trigger action. That was really good.

Then when LeBron and Joel Embiid went out of the game, they started playing through Jaylen more. So they almost created like two teams in one, right? When LeBron and Embiid are in, Jaylen will play off them and the rest of the guys. When they go out, he can be aggressive. You saw him start to find his groove in the 2nd half, and that’s when he was at his best.

And Maxey is special because he can play two different styles. He can play on the ball or off the ball. He can play with this person, or he can be the main guy. So, he fits with everybody and will be a total beneficiary.

The quicker they figure out who’s going to be the guy, the quicker it puts everybody else where they should be in the pecking order. The balance was impressive on Opening Night. Every starter got double-figure shot attempts, and so did Anfernee Simons as the sixth man.

Brunson’s Increased Pressure

The Knicks need to embrace being the hunted team. On Tuesday it was Philly. The next game, it could be Detroit; it could be Minnesota. It doesn’t matter who it is. They’re the champs, and they’re the hunted. They’re not surprising anybody.

For Jalen Brunson, that means he’s likely going to see the best defender for all 48 minutes. He usually would see the best defender for maybe half the game, then the team might switch off. Now, he’s going to get their full attention. And the Knicks are prepared for that. Coach Mike Brown is a great coach.

It’s just going to take so much more energy for him. I think getting him off the ball and using KAT as a hub will help keep everybody else involved. Brunson went a long time without getting an assist against the Sixers. And it wasn’t that he was playing selfishly. It was just the defensive scheme.

If they can keep KAT involved, then that will help free up Jalen.

Sixers’ Opening Action

The first play of the game was a good example of what the Sixers are trying to do. Watch the movement they created to get LeBron going downhill, where he’s such a good decision-maker. 

Expect to see a lot more of these actions from Philly this season. 

NBC Is Ready To Rock

It was also the first game back for our NBC crew. And the chemistry between me, Reggie and Mike Tirico was a pleasant surprise because we haven’t been together in months. I thought it might take a couple of games to get back into our rhythm. The goal for us is to bring fans into the game and make them feel like they’re sitting with us in the fourth seat at the table.

Overall, I’m really excited for this season, and especially the storytelling on NBC. Like Zora Stephenson talking with Jalen Brunson’s mom about the messages she sends him before the game. That type of coverage pulls back the curtain and brings us closer to our favorite stars.

I usually feel like there are five to six teams that think they can win the championship. I think it’s double that this season, with 10-12 teams in contention to win it all. And because of that, we’re all going to win as fans with how exciting each game and week will be as we march towards the playoffs.

Have a question for Jamal Crawford? Submit it here for the next NBA Mailbag.