NEW YORK (AP) — While the New York Knicks were partying, LeBron James was planning.
When James ultimately decided to continue his career in Philadelphia, it was clear the 76ers would look nothing like the team the Knicks crushed in four games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jaylen Brown had already been traded to Philadelphia from Boston, and other major moves in the East included Giannis Antetokounmpo going to Miami and Kawhi Leonard returning
to Toronto.
Even while celebrating their franchise's first NBA title since 1973, the Knicks took notice of what was happening around them. And the champions' reaction was basically, bring it on.
“You see what goes on. A lot of teams got better, but it’s good,” Knicks guard Mikal Bridges said. “Excited. Excited for all the other teams and just, we love when the competition is high. Who doesn’t love that?"
The Knicks also won the NBA Cup, leaving the Atlantic Division as the title they didn't win in 2025-26. The Celtics won that for a fifth straight season despite playing most of the way without Jayson Tatum while he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon.
Brown carried Boston throughout Tatum's absence with an All-NBA season, but the Celtics then traded the swingman to Philadelphia in a deal that was criticized for not landing them enough in return.
Brown's time in Boston ended on a sour note, as the No. 2-seeded Celtics blew a 3-1 lead and lost Game 7 at home to the 76ers. Philadelphia was on fumes by the time it had to start a second-round series in New York, and the Knicks took Game 1 137-98 and wrapped it up in Game 4 with a 144-114 romp.
“At the end of the day we were never at our best, and obviously we went out and added a few new guys,” 76ers center Joel Embiid said. “I’ve been saying that it’s going to take, like, it’s normal. It should take a while for everybody to get on the same page. But we're going to get there.”
With James, the NBA's career scoring leader who is entering his 24th season, and Brown joining Embiid, star guard Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the 76ers have assembled a potent starting five. But their group lacks the experience of the Knicks' unit, with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart entering their third season together.
The Knicks took most of last season trying to figure things out in their first campaign under Mike Brown. Everything finally clicked after they fell behind 2-1 against Atlanta in the first round, with New York going 16-3 and outscoring opponents by 283 points, the largest margin of victory in postseason history. Brunson was the leading scorer in the postseason with 28.4 points per game en route to NBA Finals MVP honors.
“First of all, we’re not playing at that level for 82 games,” Brown said. “We played at a pretty high level, and a lot of people, when they talk about it, they talk about the Game 4, and then Game 6 in Atlanta, so on and so forth. That’s not going to happen over 82 games.”
The first of those is Oct. 20, when the Knicks raise their championship banner and then are the initial opponent for James and the new-look 76ers.
Here’s a look at each Atlantic Division team in a predicted order of finish:
The Knicks kept most of their championship team together, re-signing reserves Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson while losing Mitchell Robinson to Boston. They have questions about the future with contract decisions to make on Towns, Hart and Deuce McBride, but for now look capable of a fourth straight 50-win season.
The 76ers will have to find the playing style that works best for them, with Maxey and Edgecombe liking it fast, Embiid and Brown thriving when it's slower and the 41-year-old James still able to do either. That may take longer than they'd like. But with that starting lineup along with good additions such as Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the 76ers should contend for their first championship since 1983.
James isn’t the only star who returned to the East this summer to seriously rejuvenate a contender. North of the border, the Raptors boosted their competitive hopes by acquiring Leonard, who led Toronto to its lone NBA title in 2019. Now 35, Leonard has dealt with two right knee injuries in the seven seasons since he was last a Raptor. If the seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year can stay healthy, he and two-time All-Star Scottie Barnes will combine to add serious bite to Toronto’s play at both ends of the floor.
Last season was supposed to be a down one in Boston with the absence of Tatum and the departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford from a team that won the title in 2024. Instead, the Celtics won 56 games and Joe Mazzulla was rewarded with the NBA Coach of the Year award. Sending Brown to a division rival will hurt, but if Paul George plays well after coming to Boston in the deal and Tatum returns to his All-Star level, the Celtics will still be strong.
After acquiring Julius Randle to pair with Michael Porter Jr. in the frontcourt, the Nets should improve after going 20-62 last season. They need to see growth from their five first-round picks who were rookies in 2025-26 and have high expectations for guard Mikel Brown Jr., who they took at No. 6 in this year's draft.
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AP freelance writer Ian Harrison in Toronto contributed to this report.
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