“As someone who wore the jersey in this city, played in The Garden, and understood how rocking it gets, it was nothing like I’ve ever seen.” – Carmelo Anthony on the excitement in New York City following the Knicks’ NBA Championship
“To the New York Knicks fans, tonight, you get to enjoy your new holiday.” – Vince Carter on the Knicks’ championship ring and banner raising ceremony
“The world was different when these guys won the championship. I live in Houston and it felt like I was in New York.” – Tracy McGrady on the Knicks’ 2026 championship
“There is a little bit more time before we get there, but I can say we are in the first round of the boxing match.” – Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Zora Stephenson on the burgeoning Thunder-Spurs rivalry
“This is a rivalry. Let’s plant that flag. They’re already considering this game tonight ‘Game 8’.” – Anthony on the Spurs-Thunder rematch of the 2026 Western Conference Finals
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 20, 2026 – The NBA returned to NBC and Peacock today with the season premiere of NBC Sports’ studio program NBA Showtime, leading into coverage of the first-ever American Express NBA Tip-Off tripleheader. In the first game, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics, 121-113, leading to live coverage of the defending champion New York Knicks raising their first championship banner since 1973 as they host the Philadelphia 76ers. Tonight’s coverage will conclude with a rematch of the 2026 Western Conference Finals as the San Antonio Spurs host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Tonight’s special on-site edition of NBA Showtime from Rockefeller Center and Madison Square Garden in New York City featured host Maria Taylor alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady. Pre-game coverage also included the Knicks’ championship ring ceremony and the unveiling of their championship banner, an introduction to the Knicks banner ceremony narrated by actor and Knicks superfan Ben Stiller, and Zora Stephenson’s interview with Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Jamal Crawford (analyst), and Zora Stephenson (courtside reporter) are calling 76ers-Knicks. Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Grant Hill (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (courtside reporter) will call Thunder-Spurs, while Terry Gannon (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst), and Brian Scalabrine (analyst) called Celtics-Pistons earlier today.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s NBA Tip-Off edition of NBA Showtime on NBC and Peacock:
ON KNICKS
Anthony on the excitement in New York City following the Knicks’ NBA Championship: “It’s hard to describe the feelings and emotions that have been going through the city since June. All season long there was a lot of excitement about the Knicks, but in June, with that playoff run they had, it was so much fun to watch and be a part of it. As someone who wore the jersey in this city, played in The Garden, and understood how rocking it gets, it was nothing like I’ve ever seen. So, as a fan, I was able to sit back and take in all of the energy and be a part of the community. It’s been 53 years in the making.”
Carter: “To the New York Knick fans, tonight, you get to enjoy your new holiday.”
Anthony on the energy in the Knicks’ fanbase this summer: “The energy in the world while you were traveling felt different. When New York wins, the world is different, and that’s in a lot of different industries. When the Knicks win, it galvanizes every single thing from schools to the food trucks.”
McGrady on the nationwide excitement over the Knicks winning the championship: “The world was different when these guys won the championship. I live in Houston and it felt like I was in New York. That’s how much fandom the Knicks had. It’s just a different energy that they injected into the world of basketball, and I loved every bit of it.”
Carter on the lack of respect for the Knicks heading into the 2026 NBA Finals: “I don’t think a lot of people gave them the respect they deserved in the Finals, and I’m one of them. We looked at that Spurs team and said, ‘Look, I don’t know,’ and Jalen Brunson said, ‘Jump on my back, and I’ll take care of business,’ and he did that. He brought this city a championship.”
Anthony on the Knicks being his pick to win the Eastern Conference: “I’m not overthinking it. I’m going with the champs. They won 15 of their last 16 to close the season out. They are coming back, putting the banner up, and getting the rings. You have to go through the champs.”
Gilgeous-Alexander to Stephenson on the Knicks’ NBA Championship: “It was just amazing basketball. You saw the chess match, the adjustments, the miraculous comebacks. I wasn’t rooting for or against either team, it was just fun to watch basketball be played at that high of a level. Obviously, I would have loved to be there. I didn’t get the opportunity, but it was amazing to watch.”
KNICKS CHAMPIONSHIP RING AND BANNER CEREMONY
Tirico on the Knicks’ championship ring and banner ceremony: “The Knicks won the championship on June 13. In this building, there were celebrations as fans watched the game as it was playing out in San Antonio. But now, on this floor and in the rafters, all the famous fans of the Knicks and the fans who have been loving this team forever are gathered around their TVs to know that October 20 is the day, 53 years in the making, that a banner signifying a championship goes up into the rafters of this famous roof in Madison Square Garden.”
Knicks announcer Mike Breen: “This special night was a night 53 years in the making. And tonight you get to celebrate a moment that will be part of Knicks history and New York’s history forever. It was a season filled with epic performances and unwavering support from the most passionate fans in the world. These Knicks captured the hearts of millions and united a city.”
Tirico: “If New York has ever been a part of your life, you know that basketball is the city’s game. Well, that’s the city’s team forever. The 2025-26 Knicks. The ‘Knicks in Five’ Knicks. And now time to turn the page. The banner at the roof. A new season begins.”
ON 76ERS
McGrady on LeBron James and Jaylen Brown bringing championship experience into the 76ers locker room: “You have to understand who is in that locker room. You have two champions (LeBron James and Jaylen Brown) in there, including the greatest player of all time coming to lead the team. Joel Embiid, listen, take a step back and let these two guys guide you to the promised land. They know how to get there, you just have to follow their lead.”
ON THUNDER-SPURS RIVALRY
Gilgeous-Alexander to Stephenson on the rivalry between the Spurs and Thunder: “We played them 12 times last year. Obviously, rivalries in sports go on for longer like Celtics-Lakers. There is a little bit more time before we get there, but I can say we are in the first round of the boxing match.”
McGrady: “I feel like this rivalry could be going on for the next five years. This is how great these two teams are. They have great coaching and depth. These guys know how to play at the highest level on every possession.”
Anthony on tonight’s Thunder-Spurs game: “This is a rivalry. Let’s plant that flag. They’re already considering this game tonight ‘Game 8.’”
ON THUNDER
McGrady on Thunder center Chet Holmgren: “Chet had four points in Game 7 (of the 2026 Western Conference Finals). I’m sure he’s winning the offseason. He’s watched film and he’s made himself better.”
ON PISTONS
Hummel on Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham: “His ascension to becoming one of the best players in the NBA has been so fun to watch over the last two years. Second in the league in assists per game last year and he has shot 40% from three in 14 postseason games. It’s all about efficiency now: making those shots from the perimeter and limiting the turnovers. We know the ball is going to be in his hands a lot, so how efficient can he take his game because Cade Cunningham makes plays for himself and everybody on the floor.”
McGrady on Pistons center Jalen Duren’s 22-point performance in Detroit’s season-opening win over Boston: “I said that I needed to see something different from Jalen Duren, that he’s not just a role player. Today, he showed that he can do more with the ball.”
Anthony: “When we talk about Jalen Duren getting $200 million, he has to be the guy. They can’t be trying to find somebody else out there…Those 22 points and nine rebounds today are something we need to see across the board from him this season.”
ON CELTICS
Scalabrine on Celtics forward Paul George: “The Celtics want him to be Paul George. They are not asking him to make sacrifices. He’s doing a lot more catch and shooting, but they want him to do more. They know what it takes to win a title and they want Paul George back to the old Paul George’s level.”
Scalabrine on the Celtics signing center Mitchell Robinson in the offseason: “This was the most underrated signing in the offseason because the day that they signed him is the day they traded Jaylen Brown away. If you talk to people around the NBA, they will say that Mitchell Robinson is smart, he’s good in drop coverage, he defends the rim, and he offensively rebounds. His offensive rebound rate was better than three whole teams in the NBA last season.”
Carter on Boston’s second scoring option behind Jayson Tatum: “You lose a scorer like Jaylen Brown, and he was a guy that you could rely on when Jayson Tatum was not playing well. Today, we saw PG (Paul George) be that guy…For me, who is going to be that consistent number two?”
ON EASTERN CONFERENCE
Scalabrine on the depth of the Eastern Conference: “The biggest thing that everybody is talking about with the Eastern Conference is depth. If you’re going to have to play every team that’s trying to win, it’s going to be a bloodbath. The deepest teams are the teams that will stack up wins in the regular season.”
--NBA SHOWTIME--
