The NBA threw the Philadelphia 76ers straight into the fire when it set the 2026-27 opening-night schedule, sending them to New York to face the Knicks on ring night, and they passed the test with a 106-100 win.
Those who don't believe in Philadelphia's championship potential may use New York's championship hangover as an excuse, saying the shortened offseason and the distractions of the banner-night festivities played a role. It's not like the Sixers were at an advantage, though, since it was their first real action with their new-look roster.
The Sixers are still figuring each other out, and that will be the case for the next several weeks, but they figured out enough to knock off the defending champs on the road in the first of 82 games. It wasn't pretty: they shot 41.6% from the field and 27.5% from deep (compared to the Knicks' 37.2% from the field and 33.3% from three), but they got the job done.
Philadelphia set the tone it needed to start the season, an encouraging sign for a team with the tools to win a championship; it's just a matter of how well they fit together.
76ers get a statement win over the Knicks
You heard it from the doubters all summer. Philadelphia's stars wouldn't be willing to sacrifice and take on less-featured roles on any given night, and they wouldn't build the chemistry needed to win a championship.
The Sixers' win didn't erase those concerns, and it's still a work in progress (it was just one game), but the buy-in was there. They spread the ball (Tyrese Maxey led the starters with 19 shot attempts, and VJ Edgecombe had the fewest with 10), spaced the floor, and looked a lot better defensively than expected. Their shots weren't falling, but that will come.
They had enough cohesiveness to march into Madison Square Garden and ruin New York's ring night, and, as you know, the Knicks' continuity is one of their strengths. That didn't matter on Tuesday.
It's a long season, and Philadelphia will inevitably hit bumps along the way, but believe it or not, this team has what it takes to be the last one standing (or else LeBron James wouldn't be in town). That would still be true even if it lost to New York. No one can say for sure what the Sixers will be after just one game, but they're headed down the right path, and that's all you can ask for.
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