Several big names changed zip codes this summer to make for what should be a wild and highly entertaining nine months of NBA basketball.

Anti-tanking rules are in place to prevent teams from intentionally crashing and burning.

Points of emphasis have been defined. No flopping. No arm extensions.

All that remains is starting the 2026-27 season, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a tripleheader.

• Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons in an early noon MST start.

• Philadelphia 76ers versus defending champion New York Knicks (4 p.m.) at Madison Square Garden in LeBron James' debut with his new team

• Oklahoma City Thunder at the San Antonio Spurs (6:30 p.m.) in a rematch of the Western Conference finals the Spurs took with a Game 7 stunner over the then-defending NBA champion Thunder in OKC.

Oh wait. One more thing. Here's a breakdown of the 30 NBA teams in four categories — championship contender, playoff contender, play-in possibilities and lottery bound.

Eastern Conference: Title contenders (2)

Playoff contenders (6)

Play-in (3)

Lottery (4)

Western Conference: Title contenders (4)

Playoff contenders (6)