Tuesday was literally a banner day for New York Knicks fans.

The first stages of the Knicks’ road to a repeat have officially been revealed: The quest begins on Oct. 20 when the Knicks host the new-look Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden.

New York returns to action three nights later when it faces the Boston Celtics in Beantown. The Knicks are also slated for an NBA Finals rematch against the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 25, as part of the Christmas Day festivities.

Slate opens vs. Sixers

The Knicks will raise the 2025-26 championship trophy and receive their rings, with the 76ers serving as witnesses.

It’s the middle part of a three-game tripleheader on NBC. The season surprisingly opens on Oct. 20 with an afternoon tilt between Boston and Detroit before Oklahoma City and San Antonio round things out at night.

An opening night tilt between the Knicks and Sixers seemed inevitable once Philadelphia added LeBron James to its red, white, and blue mix.

James, set to enter his 24th NBA season, has long been linked to the Knicks through free-agent rumors and an appreciation for playing at MSG, but New York managed to capture its elusive title without his services.

The path to the franchise’s first championship in over five decades went through Philadelphia, as the Knicks dismantled the Sixers in a four-game second-round sweep, with an average margin of victory of just over 22 points.

The Knicks’ recent success has been built on the Villanova-based triumvirate of Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart, all of whom played major roles in clinching the championship.

Philadelphia responded to their thumping by acquiring both James and ex-Bostonian Jaylen Brown, though it lost center Andre Drummond to the Knicks. The signing of Drummond was partially necessitated by the Sixers landing the services of two-year Knick Ariel Hukporti, one of the few departures from New York’s championship roster.

C-ya, again

The Knicks won’t have to wait long to reunite with one of the other dearly departed. They’ll apparently open their road slate on Oct. 23, against the revamped Celtics, who acquired tenured Manhattanite Mitchell Robinson in an offseason renovation. It’ll be the first game that Prime Video streams in its second season of NBA coverage.

Overcoming struggles against the Jayson Tatum-led Celtics has been a recurring theme in the Knicks’ recent runs.

Boston raised its own championship banner against the Knicks at the top of the 2024-25 season and won that opening-night game by a final score of 132-109 at TD Garden. It was part of an 8-1 streak in the lasting rivalry series and the start of a four-game regular season sweep.

The Knicks, however, mounted a comeback during the ensuing postseason, taking the 2025 conference semifinal series in a 4-2 final.

Last season’s series saw the Knicks take three of four before a postseason rematch was denied by the Celtics’ opening round loss to Philadelphia. Boston has since traded Brown to Philadelphia and added Mike Conley and Paul George.

Joyeux Noël, Wemby

The Knicks also unwrapped their opponent for Christmas, as they’ll face the Spurs at MSG for the first time since OG Anunoby’s franchise-turning tap completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.

It was the penultimate win earned on the path to a Larry O’Brien Trophy lift that granted Knicks fans Christmas in June, July, and August.

While a Finals rematch was a mainstay on the NBA Christmas calendar, this is the first time it has been chosen for the holiday grouping since 2017.

It’s not hard to see why the Association broke recent precedent. Not only did the Knicks and Spurs play five fantastic thrillers in June, but they also offered a hint of what was to come during the 2024 Christmas opener.

In that game, newly-crowned metropolitan villain Victor Wembanyama had a 42-point, 18-rebound double-double, but Bridges burned the Spurs for 41 in a Yuletide scoring effort bested only by Bernard King in Knicks history. The game was sealed by Hart’s high-diving rebounding antics, rendering Wembanyama’s tally mostly moot.

Despite the high-profile stakes of the game, the Knicks remain stationed in the 12 p.m. ET slot on Christmas, a posting they have occupied in each of their holiday haunts since 2014.

What’s Next

Similar to its gridiron counterpart, the NBA has opted to take a trickle-out approach to its schedule release. The dates and times for NBA Cup games will be unveiled on Wednesday, with the full schedule released by Thursday.

The New York Knicks’ output, Group B in the East, features Cleveland, Indiana, Miami, and Philadelphia.