NBA: LeBron's Sixers lost the Knicks' celebration

The Sixers sent a message from the start of the championship that they would be contenders for the title after missing the New York Knicks fiesta for the championship. LeBron and his crew won with 106-100 and showed that they would fight for the top spot. Before the jump, Branson spoke to the Garden crowd at the ceremony where the Knicks raised the championship trophy and received their rings. "The joy this city felt this summer, we want to relive it," he said among other things. banner raised in @TheGarden ✅ banner raised in Times Square ✅ https://t.co/QP0ZF2CYZt— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 21, 2026 However, to succeed they will need to play much better. Branson, with golden shoes for the occasion, could not help his team recover with the big shots he had made on the way to the title, when the Knicks repeatedly lost games against San Antonio, winning in five matchups their first championship since 1973. The Sixers' stars Tyris Maddox scored 28 points, while Brown had 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in his first game after being traded from Boston. James, who started his 24th season in the NBA, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Joel Embiid added 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. The contribution of the substitutes was also significant. Anthony Simons scored three three-pointers and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, also a rookie, two, taking advantage of the open shots provided by the Knicks' defensive focus on the big names. On the other side, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points, but the MVP of the finals made only 6/19 on his shots. The Knicks had a total of 37% in field goals and 33.3% in three-pointers. Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 12 rebounds. The game The party before the game gave way to a first half with many fouls and missed shots. The Knicks led by 10 points after a good first period, but they went to the locker room losing by 58-54. The Sixers did not start well, but they improved as the game progressed. They closed the third period with a 11-0 run, with Brown's second consecutive three-pointer on the buzzer for 83-76. At the beginning of the fourth period, Maddox's three-pointer and foul made the score 87-78. The Knicks narrowed it to 96-95 with Towns' three-pointer, but Embiid answered with his own three-pointer and the Sixers maintained the lead until the end.