The Philadelphia 76ers are not yet through with the preseason as they have one more outing left before the regular season commences, but the team should already be operating as if every single game counts. After all, opening night is just around the corner, and their first game of the season might just be their most pressure-packed contest early on. Given the weight of that outing, the atmosphere and pressure –– two things the preseason cannot fix –– could make them vulnerable.
As the defending NBA champions, New York will be raising their banner and giving out rings to their players before they take on Philly. Obviously, Madison Square Garden will be a hostile environment for any team, but the 76ers will be under an even bigger microscope. Expectations around the team are at the apex right now, and their game against the Knicks will be an abundant source of narratives and overreactions –– both good and bad.
The 76ers will face immense pressure in their season opener vs Knicks
The Knicks are a good example of a team that has faced multiple disappointments in the playoffs before finally making a breakthrough and winning the championship by staying the course and fully realizing the potential of the chemistry they have been brewing.
On the flip side, the 76ers are an uber-talented squad with even more failures in the postseason, but now tout two more superstar additions. That being said, their team chemistry at this point does not quite measure up to New York's.
A lot of eyes will be laser-focused in on how New York commences its title defense, but there could even be more attention on how Philly looks like with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown bolstering their core and their newcomers smoothing the rough patches the team had to deal with over the last couple of years.
There is arguably no better litmus test for the 76ers than to undergo this baptism by fire and take on the Knicks right from the get-go, but given how reactionary the media can be, their performance in that game could determine the initial narrative they will have to overcome or ride moving forward.
Ideally, watching the Knicks hoist up their championship banner can give the 76ers even more motivation to put up a statement performance in their first game. While the pressure can overwhelm them and is something that their brief preseason stint cannot overcome, this team packs more than sufficient juice to nevertheless come out of the Garden with a win.
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