La NBA abre sus puertas con LeBron en Philadelphia y Nueva York con la corona encima

El frío y el viento gyraron cuando la NBA decidió abrir la temporada 2026-27 con tres partidos que parecen diseñados para Cannes, but without the red carpet. Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors tienen apenas unos días para probar si las expectativas pesan tanto como sus bodies. En el de la fecha, el foco principal está en el debut de LeBron James con los 76ers, en el choque contra los Knicks, y en una rivalidad del Oeste que viene con antecedentes recientes.

Elshine de LeBron y el reconstructions de Philadelphia

Elarde de Tuesday brings a familiar but potentially explosive scenario: New York is champion, and Philadelphia arrives with LeBron. The Knicks won their first title in 53 years, while the 76ers finished the previous season at 45-37 and were eliminated in the conference semifinals. The franchise added LeBron and Jaylen Brown, joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. That is a good mix of talent, but also a traffic jam in the lane. Embiid and Brown each had a 32.5 percent of possessions during the last playoffs, while Maxey averaged 11.2 minutes with the ball per game. The question is simple: who gets the final shot when the game becomes a tautology? LeBron's playmaking could balance the attack, although the real uncertainty remains Embiid's availability after playing only 96 regular-season games over the last three seasons.

The champions of New York, meanwhile, keep the core that took them from 53 wins in the regular season to 13 consecutive playoff victories. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns remain the central figures, and the numbers back up the quality: the Knicks ranked third in offensive efficiency with 119.8 points per 100 possessions and seventh in defense with 113.3 points allowed. Mitchell Robinson's absence is the relevant change, with Andre Drummond taking over. The Garden will not be easy, but neither is the task of building around it.

Thunder against Spurs: the rematch nobody requested

The second featured matchup is Oklahoma City against San Antonio, a rematch of the previous conference finals. The Thunder finished the regular season with the league's best record, 64-18, but fell to the Spurs in seven games. Oklahoma City's defense remains its signature: it allowed 8.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average last season. That is a powerful argument, especially when the offense of the rival arrives with the memory of a series decided by one possession. The difference between great regular season and deep playoffs, as usual, is measured in details, fatigue and bad decisions.

The opening slate also includes Celtics against Pistons. The two clubs add another layer to the first night, while the debuts of Miami, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Golden State are still awaited. The league begins with a compressed calendar of expectations: some teams seek to consolidate their project, others need to prove that last season was not a fluke, and all of them have to do it immediately. The NBA does not ease into the new cycle. It throws everyone into the deep end and then asks who can swim.

• Philadelphia 76ers against New York Knicks: LeBron James debuts at Madison Square Garden, against the reigning champions.
• Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs: rematch of the previous conference finals.
• Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons: another duel on the opening slate.
• Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors: their season debuts are still awaited.

The start of the 2026-27 season therefore brings two questions without easy answers. Can Philadelphia distribute the ball well enough to take advantage of LeBron's creation, and can New York defend its title without Mitchell Robinson? In the West, can the Thunder turn defensive excellence into a championship after losing to San Antonio? The answers will arrive quickly, as they always do in the NBA. But for now, the schedule has the same effect as a cold front: it enters, shakes everything and leaves no room for hesitation. Veremos.