The New York Knicks are just hours away from kicking off their title defense with a home game against the new-look Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday evening. Before the game, the Knicks will be receiving their championship rings and lifting a banner to the rafters to celebrate last year's NBA title, which they won over the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Meanwhile, fans in attendance for the game will also get a souvenir to commemorate the occasion.
Tickets for this game aren't exactly cheap, with fans shelling out well north of $1,000 just to get into the building for the matchup, although those prices still don't compare to what fans were paying to watch the NBA Finals in person last year.
It's sure to be a raucous scene inside Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, both before and during the game, assuming the Knicks are able to pick up where they left off on the court last year.
New York was able to keep most of its roster intact from a season ago, although they did absorb a big loss with the free agency departure of Mitchell Robinson, who joined the rival Boston Celtics. The Knicks did well to bring in veteran big man Andre Drummond to back up Karl-Anthony Towns, but it's not hard to envision frontcourt depth becoming an issue for New York at some point this year.
Still, the Knicks have arguably the best starting five in the NBA, one that will be playing with even more confidence now that they've reached the pinnacle of the sport by winning a championship.
In any case, tipoff between New York and Philadelphia is set for 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday.