Many contenders chasing champion Knicks

Manila Times - Oct 20, 2026

LEBRON James went to Philadelphia. Giannis Antetokounmpo moved to Miami. Kawhi Leonard returned to Toronto. A dozen or so former All-Star selections, the majority of them being former All-NBA picks, changed addresses this offseason as well. And they’re all chasing the New York Knicks. The 81st season of NBA play starts on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) with a tripleheader, highlighted by James and the 76ers heading to New York to face Jalen Brunson and the champion Knicks. They’ll get their championship rings before the game, see a banner swaying from the ceiling of Madison Square Garden and then get down to the task of doing something that nobody in the NBA has done for nearly a decade — repeat as title winners. The Knicks became the NBA’s eighth different champion in the last eight years, a run unprecedented in league history. They’re not the favorites to win the title this season; that role is shared by Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder. But the Knicks weren’t expected to win it all last season either, and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jalen Brunson points to the title as proof that words don’t have to matter. “There’s only potential distractions...

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