By: Reagan McLean
Not only was the weather nice on Oct. 20, but it was also a good day to be a National Basketball Association (NBA) fan.
The NBA season officially kicked off with the New York (NY) Knicks playing against the 76ers. The game started with championship rings being presented to the Knicks. The rings featured two inscriptions: ‘Knicks in Five’ on the shank of the ring and ‘10 Weeks’ in reference to the 10 weeks of conditioning the team owner James Dolan asked of his team. The rings were handed to the Knicks’ front office and were presented by alumni Knicks players. However, after a shooting battle all game long, the 76ers spoiled ring night with a 106-100 win.
After the Knicks’ championship, the roster changed with a key subtraction: Mitchell Robinson departed for the Boston Celtics after being offered a $47 million contract.
Other departures include: Ariel Hukporti signing a one-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, Jeremy Sochan signing a minimum one-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, and Trey Jemison III signing a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors.
There’s also trouble in paradise when it comes to key returners, as Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT), Josh Hart, Tyler Kolek and Miles (Deuce) McBride are all eligible to get their contracts extended by the Knicks.
“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of,” the spokesperson shared with ESPN’s Shams Charania. “As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season.”
Despite key departures and pending contract extensions, the Knicks gained a wildcard in signing Andre Drummond to a one-year $3.8 million contract. With Robinson’s departure, Drummond can “fill the shoes” of being the second center option behind KAT. The Knicks also signed back Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, Mohammed Diawara and Landry Shamet on multi-year contracts.
After the rings were presented, a montage of players and fans was presented on the jumbotron in MSG holding the championship banner soon to be hung in the rafters. Jalen Brunson addressed the crowd at MSG, focusing his speech on fan appreciation and the team’s future as the season begins.
“What’s up, Knicks Fans? Most importantly, I want to say thank you to you guys for not leaving Game 4. We really appreciate it; as much as we won this, we wouldn’t have done it without you guys.” Brunson said.
After the banner was hung in the rafters, it was officially time to play the first game of the season. As the ball tipped off in front of a sold-out crowd, the 76ers went on a run. Tyrese Maxey made his presence known in MSG with his shooting.
The Knicks’ presence was not seen on the court until Mikail Bridges made a tip-in shot with 9:42 remaining. As the first quarter progressed, Brunson made his first three-pointer of the season with 9:06 remaining.
Andre Drummond was the spark off the bench that helped the Knicks get into their rhythm. With 8:04 remaining on the shot clock, Drummond made a big block on his former teammate Embiid and pulled off a defensive rebound, followed by an offensive rebound much later.
Drummond also recorded an assist on Hart’s jump shot at the 7:15 mark, followed by a layup of his own with an assist from Bridges with 5:57 remaining. Coming down to the end of the first quarter, things started to get chippy between Embiid and Shamet.
With 3:14 remaining on the clock, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope committed a personal foul, and words were exchanged between Embiid and Shamet. The crowd started chanting f— Embiid in unison. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 23-25.
The second quarter started slowly for the Knicks; however, their tenacity and grit helped them pull off a strong lead before halftime. Between 10:54 and 9:42, Drummond made his presence known in the paint by rebounding and making two layups during this time frame.
Jose Alvarado sank a three-pointer from 23 feet with 9:32 remaining on the clock. Shamet sank a deep three-pointer off an assist from Drummond, making the score 35-28.
For the 76ers, fans were not happy seeing LeBron James at the free-throw line within the first half of the game. Fans erupted in “we don’t want you” chants in the first, which also led to an altercation between James and a fan sitting courtside in the second quarter.
As halftime drew closer and closer, Brunson started to take over by shooting in the paint and securing free throws at the charity stripe, making the score 58-54. Knicks fans were in for a special treat during halftime with a performance by rapper Method Man.
As the third quarter progressed, the Knicks found themselves fighting an uphill battle to carry the lead they had before halftime. With 9:31 in the third, Hart made a deep three-pointer off an offensive rebound by KAT and an assist from Brunson. As the third quarter progressed, KAT was putting in heavy minutes and getting crucial rebounds to slow down the 76ers.
Despite the effort in getting rebounds and shooting, the Knicks started to go on a shooting drought, allowing the 76ers to take over the lead and go on an 11-0 run, which affected the way the Knicks played in the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was a tense battle for both teams. With 2:40 remaining on the shot clock, KAT makes a deep three-pointer for the Knicks off an assist from Brunson; however, the 76ers answer back with a dunk from VJ Edgecombe.
With a Coach’s Challenge made in the final 41.3 seconds of the game to reverse an out-of-bounds call, this led to a Brunson layup, making the score 104-100. At the end, the final score was 106-100. Brunson ended the game with 21 points, followed by KAT, who scored 19, Hart with 14, and Drummond making his Knicks debut with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Although this is just game one started off with a loss for the NBA season, there are 79 more games left to go before the playoffs kick off again in late April of 2027.