Reggie Miller is about to get a front-row seat to something Knicks fans will absolutely love.
NBC Sports announced Tuesday that Miller will be part of the four-person broadcast crew for the Knicks’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. That game lands at Madison Square Garden, where the night will also include the team’s ring ceremony and the raising of its championship banner.
For a man whose name has long been tied to Knicks pain, the setup is hard to beat. Miller spent years battling New York in the playoffs as a Pacer, and over more than 20 years as an analyst, he’s kept the shots at the franchise coming. Now he’ll be on the call as the Knicks begin their title-defense season and watch the banner go up in the Garden rafters.
That’s the kind of assignment that feels tailor-made for a final bit of basketball torment.
The bigger question for New York, though, is far less theatrical and far more important: how Jalen Brunson looks after offseason wrist surgery. The Knicks’ championship hopes will rise and fall with him, as they have throughout his time with the team, and the early signs were encouraging.
Brunson played 15 minutes in Monday’s preseason opener against Philadelphia and put up 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. He shot 50.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three.
It was preseason, sure, but the movement looked clean and the shot didn’t show any obvious signs of hesitation. For a team trying to defend a title, that matters a lot more than the calendar says it should.
So while Miller will be in the building for a night full of celebration for New York, the Knicks also appear to have gotten a reassuring first look at the player who makes their whole thing go.
In Other News...
Stephen A. Smith Thinks James Dolan Is Putting Knicks Momentum At Risk
On ESPNs First Take, Stephen A. Smith turned his attention to a familiar Knicks flashpoint: James Dolan and the fragile nature of momentum around a team that has finally broken through. Smith praised the leadership group credited with helping end the franchises championship drought, while warning that ownership has to be careful not to let a good thing drift just as the Knicks have built real traction.
His larger concern was less about one move than the message Dolan sends next. Smith questioned whether the team will show enough urgency in the way it handles its front office and roster decisions, and he also raised the issue of Karl-Anthony Towns standing within the organization. For a Knicks fan base that has spent years waiting for competence to turn into sustained contention, even the hint of complacency feels like a risk. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Brown Brings A LeBron Story Into The Knicks Title Defense
The Knicks finally opened their season after winning the NBA championship in June, and the mood around the defending champions already has the feel of a team trying to manage both celebration and expectation. New coach Mike Brown, who once coached LeBron James in Cleveland, used the moment to reflect on what it takes to stay at the top in this league, especially for a group that now has to defend a title with everyone circling the same target.
Brown pointed to James as the standard for staying productive deep into a career, praising the way the veteran has kept himself ready year after year. For a Knicks team that is being mentioned alongside the Spurs, Thunder and 76ers among the favorites this season, the message lands cleanly: repeating is less about looking back at last spring and more about building the habits that let elite teams last. [Read more 🡒]
James Wiseman Just Made The Knicks Center Battle A Lot More Interesting
James Wisemans preseason debut gave the Knicks exactly the kind of reminder they were hoping for as they sort through the center mix. In his first game action since a season-ending Achilles injury last December, Wiseman flashed on both ends of the floor, finishing with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, five rebounds and a block in just over nine minutes.
The timing matters because the battle for interior minutes has been one of the more closely watched parts of New Yorks camp, and Wisemans return adds another layer to it. The early read from around the team is that he has put himself in position to be part of the Opening Night picture, which makes his next few outings worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]