Chet Holmgren, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Paul George linger in the NBA spotlight after making their 2026-27 season debuts on Tuesday.
Any given Tuesday? Not quite, but the NBA no doubt yearns for a similar dramatic concept.
(Photos by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
At the very least, it found such theatrics on Tuesday night, which a sensational six do battle in the first batch of games that count. A peculiar, if not powerful, afternoon opener saw the Detroit Pistons bounce Boston by a 121-113 final before the Philadelphia 76ers, starring incoming king LeBron James, spoiled the New York Knicks’ ring night with a 106-100 triumph at Madison Square Garden.
The trilogy ended with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 116-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs, granting the former a quantum of solace for the loss that ended last year’s championship defense.
With a great opening night comes comes responsibility … which many observers have opted to throw by the wayside in the name of hardwood sensationalism. There’s no use avoiding it, so BIL gets in on the overreacting fun with three overreactions from Tuesday’s events, complete with evidence in favor and against their staying power …
By George, They’ve Got It
Purgatory is, ironically, the most damning place for an NBA team to be. That’s probably where the Boston Celtics sit after spending the past two seasons gutting their 2024 title team, one where then-Finals MVP Jaylen Brown no doubt stands as the most noticeable casualty.
Bringing in the oft-injured and far more seasoned George in a Brown deal made with a division rival placed Boston in an awkward position but the former at least started to vindicate the deal on Tuesday. George strongly resembled his old self on both sides of the ball in Tuesday afternoon’s opener and ended the day with 38 points, a record for a man making his green debut. Considering the hallowed names that have worn Boston green, that’s a high honor in just one game.
Of course, it’s hard to truly relish the moment when the Celtics were the antagonists in a 22-point comeback story, one coming against a Detroit Pistons group that had plenty to prove on its own ledger. But if George can keep up this pace (and stay healthy, of course) while Jayson Tatum shakes off his own early doldrums, there’s reason to believe that the Celtics can maintain their Eastern Conference penthouse residency.
Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson
During last year’s NBA Finals, many pondered if OG Anunoby could’ve given Jalen Brunson a run for his money in the MVP race. While Brunson prevailed, what if the true New York MVP had been there the whole time?
While his work during last season’s playoff run secured Karl–Anthony Towns‘ metropolitan legacy, his future carries more questions: the Knicks have remained steadfast in maintaining financial prudence via second apron avoidance. That makes Towns’ metropolitan future a bit murky, as looming extensions for both him and Josh Hart will likely deny management the chance to have their green cake and eat it, too.
Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Philadelphia 76ers 10/20/2026 19 PTS | 6-9 FG | L 100-106 https://t.co/0FFZPQOMie
— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) October 21, 2026
Those willing to let the KAT out found vindication in the defending champions’ opening night loss to the 76ers: Towns eventually mustered a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double but got into early foul trouble that necessitated Andre Drummond making his Knicks debut earlier than anticipated. Drummond responded well with a fantastic first half (becoming the first to have a first half double-double off the bench since Domantas Sabonis with the Indiana Pacers in 2018) but he was held in check during a latter 20 that saw Philadelphia take a lasting lead.
Towns getting into foul trouble hasn’t exactly been uncommon since his Knick tenure began in 2024 but New York at least had the relative assurance of former franchise staple Robinson backing him up. With Robinson (who admittedly had injury issues of his own) now wearing a hated shade of green, the world is about to find out just how valuable he was to the metropolitan cause, especially if Towns continues to be overly aggressive. As it stands, the top spell options are the 16-year veteran Drummond and draft washout James Wiseman, who’s looking to reclaim the narrative on his NBA career in Manhattan.
HolmgreMVP
Are the supposed “foul merchants” closing up shop? We’ll have to wait a little while to find out but the Oklahoma City Thunder are apparently well-equipped if they indeed decide to hold a liquidation sale.
Amidst a testy match between the Thunder and their most recent vanquishers from San Antonio, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the foul line only four times. To put that number into early context, the two-time defending MVP had only three games (including the NBA Cup semifinal loss to the aforementioned Spurs) where he attempted four or fewer singles and played at least 36 minutes.
Victor Wembanyama when guarded by Aday Mara or Chet Holmgren last night: 0% FG 0% 3PT 2 Turnovers https://t.co/vSMwelx1Mp
— Underdog (@Underdog) October 21, 2026
Instead, OKC got by with the dirty work on Tuesday night: after the French correction Victor Wembanyama ended the Thunder’s run of consecutive championships, a stifling effort led by Chet Holmgren forced the third-year sensation to miss each of his first official 12 tries from the field. Furthermore, Holmgren’s shooting was relatively pedestrian (3-of-8 from the field, a perfect 8-of-8 from the line) but was likely a godsend after he was but 1-of-2 and 2-of-4 in the respective categories during the sides’ epic Game 7 showdown last spring.
Even if Holmgren has some work to do in the hijacking of powder blue MVP votes, there’s no doubt that Aday Mara made significant leaps on the Rookie of the Year power rankings. The Michigan alum and most recent No. 12 pick made a name for himself with sterling defense on Wembanyama, namely through a third-quarter script flip when he shut down a Wemby alley-oop before slamming one of his own down on the other end. Considering that the Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein grouping failed to bring down Wembanyama on its own last season, Mara has a sterling opportunity to complement the middle initial of MVP, especially with his learning process streamlined by previously professional play overseas.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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