Knicks look to defend championship title as season begins with MSG banner-raising ceremony
The New York Knicks will mark their season opener as NBA champions on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden with a banner-raising ceremony before their matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The banner will go up to the rafters before the tipoff at 7 p.m.
Last season's historic playoff run culminated with the Knicks defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, clinching their first championship in 53 years. The team then spent the summer celebrating.
This season, starting five Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby will be looking to build on the chemistry that helped the team capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
"People say we're defending the title, I mean, that's one way to look at it, but it's something we've won. We've put it in our past, and now we're just trying to attack another," Brunson said.
But first, they have to get through revamped Philadelphia.
The Knicks swept the 76ers out of the playoffs in June. On Tuesday night, they will look for another win against the team that has added LeBron James to the picture.
The 76ers handled the Knicks in the preseason 120-97, and they did it without some key players, including James, who signed with Philly as a free agent over the summer.
"Wherever Bron went [in] the East, I figured that would probably be our opening night," Hart said. "Getting the ring, hanging the banner, that would be dope, but also excited to kind of move on from it."
"The energy in the city the last few days even has picked up. Everybody I run into has been talking about it. The excitement from everybody will be palpable," Landry Shamet said.
Hart said he knows the banner is about last season, and the Knicks have to show they can do it again.
"Obviously, 53 years. Multiple generations of fans are gonna be there to witness this. We want them to have as much fun as physically and humanly possible," Hart said.
Demand is high for the opener considering the banner-raising, the first game of the new season at the Garden, and the star power on the 76ers. Ticket prices were going for more than $2,000 per seat on Tuesday afternoon, CBS News New York's Otis Livingston reported.
"I mean, it's hard, because they're human, and there's a part of you that wants to keep celebrating, but you know, you've got to turn it off," Knicks coach Mike Brown said.
There will also be a series of commemorative elements at MSG honoring the Knicks and fans who witnessed it.
In addition to the banner-raising, the Knicks players will get their championship rings, but so will some others. Team owner James Dolan promised rings to the players' significant others as well, highlighting that the support and sacrifices of the players' partners during last season's playoffs were vital to securing the title.
"It's really cool that Jim did that. They make huge sacrifices, too. Not just during the playoffs, but the whole year," Hart said, adding with a laugh, "As long as my ring is bigger than hers."
A Defining Moments exhibit will be on the sixth-floor concourse in sections 103-104. It will have game-worn jerseys, game-used items, newspaper clippings, and pieces from the championship parade, among other things.
Two moments will also be added to the "Garden 366" display, including the team's 22-point fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The other moment is Anunoby's game-winning tip-in against the Spurs during Game 4 of the Finals.
"Even though our team lived it on the court, the city was just as much a part of this as we were. Being able to put these pieces in front of the fans is one way of saying thank you," Brunson said in a statement. "The Championship belongs to them as well, and we are excited to play for them at The Garden this season."
Fans will also have the opportunity to see and take pictures of the Larry O'Brien Trophy, which will be in Chase Square starting Wednesday, and the Empire State building will be lit up in orange and blue to commemorate the opener.
Fans were pumped up for the banner-raising.
"It's always going to be an honor and privilege to see and watch them play because the Knicks got so much rich history," one person said.
"Tonight, they finally get their rings and the banner goes up into the rest. It's about time. Should have been up there, but it's never too late," another fan said.
