Nick Nurse didn’t need long to revisit the wound.
After the 76ers beat the Knicks 106-100 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the Philadelphia coach was still hung up on what happened the last time his team played there. That was Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, a night Nurse clearly has not let go.
“The last time we were here, we should've won. Still makes me mad,” Nurse said after the game, per Jeff Skversky of FOX29 Philly.
That earlier trip to New York came with plenty of baggage. Philadelphia had just been buried 137-98 in Game 1, then had to navigate Game 2 without Joel Embiid. Even so, the 76ers carried a 90-89 lead into the fourth quarter and looked poised to even the series.
Instead, the night turned on them. Philadelphia managed only 12 points in the final period, hit just 4 of 19 shots from the floor, and watched the Knicks finish the comeback. New York then closed out the series with convincing wins in Games 3 and 4 back in Philadelphia.
“The last time we were here, we should've won. Still makes me mad”
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) October 21, 2026
🔥 Nick Nurse after the Sixers beat the Knicks in the opener with LeBron James and new look 76ers
Nurse says it’s been “fun” so far with this team pic.twitter.com/vXjz9dDKPf
For a coach like Nurse, that kind of defeat clearly lingers. The memory may have been fresh, but this time the result went the other way, with the 76ers spoiling the Knicks’ ring and banner ceremony in the process.
The bigger picture for Philadelphia is different now, too. With the arrival of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the 76ers have more firepower around Tyrese Maxey, which gives them another layer if Embiid misses time again at the worst possible moment.
And the way they won on Opening Night matters. Philadelphia showed it can still get the job done even when the shot isn’t falling, a useful sign if the team is going to stay among the East’s best.
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LeBron James got his first taste of Philadelphia as a 76er in the season opener, and the night came with plenty of stage-setting before the game even tipped off. The Knicks held their championship celebration, but the 76ers answered by turning the second half into their own showcase and leaving with a 106-100 win over New York, with James contributing across the board in his debut.
For Sixers fans, the more eye-catching part may have been the early chemistry between James and VJ Edgecombe, who shared a postgame handshake after the final buzzer. It was only one game, but it offered a first real glimpse of how a veteran centerpiece and a new teammate might fit together as Philadelphia tries to build momentum around its new-look roster. [Read more 🡒]