Basketball is back.
The NBA season tips off Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, where Kevin Durant returns to his former home in his Rockets debut, followed by Luka Dončić playing his first season opener with the Lakers against Steph Curry and the Warriors.
On Wednesday, the Knicks open a season of enormous expectations at Madison Square Garden against the Cavaliers, perhaps the only team standing in the way of the Knicks reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Even at the Knicks’ all-time best, conquering the East has rarely looked so attainable. Lew Alcindor, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens and Earl Monroe don’t stand in the way. Neither do Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller or Shaq and Penny.