The Philadelphia 76ers will inevitably face the New York Knicks four times next season. So far, we're finding out that the NBA doesn't want to waste any time getting the two Atlantic Division rivals under the spotlight to begin the season.
After Tuesday's Opening Night reveal, followed by Wednesday's NBA Cup announcement, the Sixers found out that they are going to face the NBA Champions twice in under two weeks.
The first game takes place in New York, on October 20. The second game will tip off on October 30, in Philadelphia.
The potential downside to a front-loaded schedule
Sixers-Knicks will be exciting from the jump. Everybody loves a good East Coast rivalry, and the heightened emotions with the Knicks raising their banner at Madison Square Garden to tip off the season will add a lot of hype to the matchup.
For the Sixers, it seems like a good situation from the jump. This team will face some tough tests early on. But here's the downside to a potentially front-loaded schedule with a team like the Knicks, you can't call an October game a barometer matchup. It's just too early in the season.
There's no telling when the Sixers will take on the Knicks again. After October, the two teams will have just two more matchups against each other before a potential playoff battle.
Last season, the Sixers and the Knicks didn't meet for the first time until December 19. Their next matchup occurred on January 3, followed by another on January 24. The final game between the two rivals took place on February 11. By the time they reached the first matchup, both teams had an idea of what they could look like come playoff time.
Many players and coaches will say the season doesn't truly start until Christmas. The first couple of months are just teams figuring out who they are, and going through growing pains. Then, after the early evaluation, some contending teams go through some noticeable changes before and even after the trade deadline with the buyout market.
Soon, the Sixers will find out where their final two games against the Knicks land. Ideally, they are closer to the spring, when they could serve as a solid barometer before a potential postseason run.
Now that we know the Sixers are going to battle it out twice in October, it's necessary to keep in mind that it's too early to overreact to wins or losses.
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