“Your defending NBA Champions” will be featured on national television a league-high 34 times in 2026-27. Here are 10 games I’m most excited to watch.
1. Tuesday, October 20 (7p) — vs Philadelphia 76ers (NBC/Peacock) The Knicks will be raising their championship banner with longtime nemesis and forever free-agent target LeBron James on the opposing sideline. That’s just icing on the cake for formerly long-suffering Knicks fans.
2. Friday, October 23 (7p) — at Boston Celtics (Prime Video) The Jaylen Brown-less Celtics intrigue me more than any other team in the Eastern Conference.
3. Friday, October 30 (7:30p) — at Philadelphia 76ers (Prime Video) Six months before the Knicks can start defending their NBA championship in the playoffs, they will begin the defense of their NBA Cup title against the new “superteam.”
4. Monday, November 2 (7:30p) — vs Brooklyn Nets (MSG) Nets owner Joe Tsai says he’s embarrassed that his crosstown rivals won the NBA Championship. It will be interesting to see if former Knick Julius Randle and the young Nets bring the fire to back up their owner’s words.
5. Friday, November 13 (7p) — at Indiana Pacers (Prime Video) Tyrese Haliburton was pissed off that his season opener wasn’t going to be nationally televised, but his first game against the Knicks since the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals will be.
6. Friday, November 27 (7p) — vs Miami Heat (Prime Video) In an alternate universe where the San Antonio Spurs were able to close out NBA Finals games in Jalen Brunson fashion, the cries for Giannis Antetokounmpo would’ve been deafening. Instead, NYC yawned when he took his talents to South Beach.
7. Friday, December 25 (12n) — vs San Antonio (ABC, ESPN) I never understood the urge to wake up Christmas morning, walk past Santa’s crumbled cookie remains, and head out to Madison Square Garden. Now, I get it.
8. Saturday, January 30 (8:30p) — vs Los Angeles Lakers (ABC) Stephen A Smith is convinced you can’t win with a “white dude” Big 3 — but the Lakers are going to try with Luka Doncic, Walker Kessler, and Austin Reaves.
9. Sunday, March 14 (12p) — vs Boston Celtics (ABC) Weird scheduling quirk that we have to wait until mid-March for Mitchell Robinson to presumably get his video tribute. Hope the big guy is healthy for the game — and makes at least one free throw.
10. Saturday, March 20 (1p) — vs Washington Wizards (MSG) Haliburton and Victor Wembyama have overtaken Trae Young at the top of MSG’s villain list, but if the Wizards live up to their preseason hype, Young will no doubt try to ratchet up the hate in his only Midtown Manhattan appearance of the season.