Shaquille O’Neal sees plenty to like about the Philadelphia 76ers, but he’s not ready to pretend the path is clean.
As the Knicks try to protect a shot at a second straight championship, Shaq pointed to the biggest variable for Philadelphia: whether the talent can actually function like a team.
“The team has enough talent to make a deep run,” Shaq said of the 76ers, “but the question is whether everybody accepts their role, shares the ball, and stays healthy.”
That’s the heart of it for a Sixers group that looks stacked heading into the 2026-27 season. On paper, the roster has the kind of star power that turns heads. LeBron James is in the mix, and Philadelphia also brought in Jaylen Brown, a five-time All-Star and former champion with the Boston Celtics.
The Sixers won’t have to wait long to find out where they stand against New York. They open preseason against the Knicks, then head to Madison Square Garden for their season opener on Oct. 20.
Philadelphia is hardly the only team reshaping the East, either. The conference is expected to be stronger across the board.
Boston sent Brown away but landed Paul George in the deal and also stole Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks. Detroit, coming off a 60-win season, added John Collins and Isaiah Joe and should get Jalen Duren back.
Cleveland made a splash by bringing in Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets, while Miami traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s also the possibility of Kawhi Leonard returning to the Toronto Raptors if the deal gets through after the Los Angeles Clippers investigation.
And then there’s Indiana, which will have Tyrese Haliburton back after he missed the 2025-26 season with the torn Achilles he suffered in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Still, the Knicks have already shown they can handle pressure. During their run to the NBA Finals, they swept the 76ers without James.
In Other News...
Josh Hart Sends Clear Message As Knicks Face Loaded 76ers Test
The Knicks are staring at a much tougher road in the Eastern Conference, with Philadelphia now looking like one of the leagues deepest and most star-heavy lineups for the 2026-27 season. A social media post of LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey working out together only added to the buzz, and it quickly caught the attention of a Knicks fan who tagged Josh Hart with a reminder to get ready for whats coming.
Hart didnt leave much room for interpretation. He replied on social media that he is already training, even if hed rather not turn his offseason into a stream of gym photos. For the Knicks, it was a small but telling moment, the kind of back-and-forth that underscores how seriously the matchup with Philadelphia is being taken before the season even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Karl-Anthony Towns Just Gave Knicks Fans A Wedding Moment To Love
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods turned their wedding into something a little more New York-friendly than your typical celebrity celebration. The ceremony featured a display of the Knicks NBA Cup championship trophy alongside the Larry OBrien trophy, and several of Towns teammates were there to take part in the day as well. Guests even left with hoodies that played off the Knicks championship slogan, a small but telling touch for a player who has already made himself part of the citys basketball conversation.
For Knicks fans, it is another reminder of how quickly Towns has become woven into the teams culture as he heads into his third season in New York. He arrives with plenty of resume polish, including Rookie of the Year and six All-Star selections, but the wedding details added a more personal layer to the relationship between player and fan base. Whether it is on the court or in the middle of a celebration, Towns keeps finding ways to make the Knicks feel like part of the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Get An Early East Test Against A New-Look 76ers
The Knicks do not have to wait long to find out where they stand in the East. New York opens the 2026-27 season against Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, then sees the 76ers again twice in the first six games, setting up an early measuring stick against a division rival that has changed dramatically since the last time these teams met.
Philadelphias offseason makeover has turned the matchup into one of the leagues most intriguing early tests, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown arriving while Paul George was sent to the Celtics. For the Knicks, that means a quick crash course against a revamped 76ers group that will bring a very different look, and likely a very different level of difficulty, than the one they have been preparing for all summer. [Read more 🡒]