Knicks
The 76ers beat the Knicks on Tuesday, but they did not ruin a historic night at Madison Square Garden. For the first time in 53 years, the Knicks hoisted a banner to the Garden rafters. The players also received rings in a ceremony that merged franchise legends with recent stars.
Designed by Jason of Beverly Hills, the Knicks’ championship rings are the first to feature a rotating element. When you turn the Knicks logo, it rises from the ring’s body to reveal the exterior of MSG. The 22-carat ring features the Knicks logo inside a jewel pattern that resembles the iconic Garden ceiling.
The remarkable ring includes nearly 800 diamonds and blue sapphires set in white gold. The top can be removed to reveal the Garden’s lower bowl on one half, with the Larry O’Brien Trophy logo on the court. The other half features the Knicks’ impressive playoff statistics infused into the Garden’s pinwheel ceiling.
Surrounding the Knicks logo on top are the numbers of every player on the team. One side of the exterior shows the outcome of every series, reminding fans of the Knicks’ 16-3 postseason run and 13-game win streak. The other side features the recipient’s name and number below a golden image of the Garden set inside the New York City skyline.
The Knicks wore their home white jerseys on Tuesday, but with a twist. The text and numbers on the front and back were gold and shiny, and the NBA icon on the back was replaced with a sparkly “2025-26 Champions” logo. Jalen Brunson complemented his jersey with shiny gold sneakers.
The ceremony was incredible. The game? Not so much. The 76ers showed off their bold acquisitions on the brightest stage. Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey combined for 47 points, LeBron James scored 14 points, fell one rebound short of a double-double, and the Knicks lost 106-100.
Knicks fans refused to let the Sixers rain on their parade. Tuesday night was historic. But the Knicks players were frustrated with the outcome, and head coach Mike Brown promptly held his players accountable.
“What an ugly game,” Brown said. “All throughout the game, it looked like we were running in mud. Whether in the frontcourt or transition, we were not good at getting to our spots and putting pressure on Philadelphia. Our spacing wasn’t great. We were walking everywhere, and when we got to the paint, we couldn’t finish.”
Brown referenced the turnover differential. The Sixers scored 22 points off the Knicks’ 14 turnovers, suggesting the Knicks were poor in transition. Part of the issue was Karl-Anthony Towns’s foul trouble, which limited him to 23 minutes and forced the Knicks to deploy a slower Andre Drummond.
Drummond wasn’t strong defensively, but he was excellent overall. His performance was arguably the Knicks’ only positive takeaway from this game. In 24 minutes, he totaled 12 points and 14 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds, an important stat to watch without Mitchell Robinson.
By reaching a double-double in 14:18, Drummond became the third-fastest Knicks player to a double-double in the shot-clock era. He helped the Knicks’ bench score 32 points, outscoring Philadelphia’s bench by nine points. Depth remains a key factor for the Knicks.
Towns was productive despite less playing time. He posted 19 points and 12 rebounds, but led the team with four turnovers. The Knicks couldn’t find the offense needed to overcome their defensive woes. They shot 11-for-33 (33.3%) from three-point range and 35-for-94 (37.2%) from the field.
“We play basketball for a living,” Josh Hart said. “If you can’t get up and get excited to play basketball, no matter who the hell we play, you’ve got to do some soul-searching. It doesn’t matter if we’re defending champs. It doesn’t matter if we had the worst record in the league last year. No matter what, we’ve got to make sure we’re professionals and do what our job is.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think anybody picked us to win the championship again. So, nothing to it. We shouldn’t sit there and think we’re the champions, because we’re not. We’re 0-1. We’re the worst team in the NBA right now, so we need to play like it.”
In the first game of the season, neither team produced much offensively. Nevertheless, the Knicks kept their star-studded Philadelphia opponent within reach, and they have something to build on tomorrow night in Boston (7:00 PM, 6:00 PM CDT – Prime Video).
Schedule
Tonight 10/22:
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): Thursday Night Hockey – NYR at TOR; MSG, DAZN
8:15 PM (7:15 PM CDT): Thursday Night Football (TNF), Week 7 – New England Patriots (4-2) at Chicago Bears (4-2); Prime Video
Friday 10/23:
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): NBA on Prime – NYK at BOS; Prime Video
Saturday 10/24:
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): NYR at OTT; MSG, DAZN
Sunday 10/25:
1:00 PM (12:00 PM CDT): NFL on FOX, Week 7 – New York Giants (3-2-1) at Houston Texans (2-4); FOX, FOX ONE
1:00 PM (12:00 PM CDT): NFL on CBS, Week 7 – New York Jets (2-4) vs. Miami Dolphins (0-5); CBS, Paramount+
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): NYK vs. ORL; MSG, DAZN
8:20 PM (7:20 PM CDT): Sunday Night Football (SNF) – Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) at Seattle Seahawks (3-3); NBC, Peacock
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): Football Night in America (FNIA); NBC, Peacock
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): Hyundai Sunday Night Kickoff; NBC, Peacock
8:10 PM (7:10 PM CDT): GEICO Sunday Night Anthem; NBC, Peacock
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Knicks
