Earlier this month, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke openly about waiting for LeBron James to “make his announcement already” so the league could finalize the 2026-27 schedule. James waited over a week after those comments to officially announce on Friday that he was joining the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year deal.
With James’ decision in the rearview mirror, other dominoes are bound to fall, which should create a standstill soon enough until the season kicks off later this fall. It also should finally allow Silver and NBA decision-makers to build out key dates on the calendar, including opening night and the Christmas Day slate.
Here is what we do know now that James has made his decision: It would be shocking if the 76ers aren’t playing on both opening night and Christmas Day. While the opponent for Christmas Day could be up in the air, the most logical matchup for Philly on opening night would be against the reigning NBA champions: the New York Knicks.
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The other game of the two-game opening night slate could also be a toss-up. However, one that makes sense would be a Western Conference Finals rematch between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, which was filled with drama and star power.
While NBA fans will have to wait a little longer for the matchups to be officially announced, we are doing our best to predict what both slates might look like.
Predictions for Opening Night
76ers vs. Knicks
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
It’s tradition for the reigning NBA champs to play on opening night. Last year, Oklahoma City faced the Houston Rockets in the first game of the season. It was a perfect matchup because not only did the Thunder receive their rings, but they did so in front of Kevin Durant, who was playing his first game with the Rockets. Rich Paul, James’ agent, said earlier this offseason that James likely would have signed with the Knicks had they not won the title. Now, we’ll get our first glimpse at James and the new-look 76ers against the champs at a raucous Madison Square Garden. The atmosphere would be electric.
Thunder vs Spurs
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Frost Bank Center (San Antonio)
Last year, the Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the nightcap of the opening night slate. If James signed with the Warriors, he would be playing in this time slot. But that obviously didn’t happen. The proposal for this matchup would be simple: Why not have two of the best teams face off on opening night? We saw how competitive this series was in the Western Conference Finals. You can make a case that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama are the two best players in the world right now. The West Finals went seven games, and we shouldn’t have to wait to see them square off again.
Predictions for Christmas Day
Celtics vs. Knicks
Time: Noon ET
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)
Traditionally, the Knicks have played in this timeslot on Christmas Day. Is there a chance the NBA bumps New York to primetime after it won the title? Maybe. If not, New York facing the Boston Celtics in the first game of the day would make sense. Boston is entering a new era after trading Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for a package headlined by Paul George. Another possibility could be an NBA Finals rematch between the Knicks and Spurs. Those teams played each other on Christmas Day, in the NBA Cup and the NBA Finals. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it … right?
Raptors vs. Heat
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: Kaseya Center (Miami)
The second slot of the day requires some creativity. If the NBA wants to stick with the Eastern Conference theme, then having the Toronto Raptors face the Miami Heat would make a ton of sense. The Heat made the biggest trade of the offseason by acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors (might?) have Kawhi Leonard, pending the league investigation, if and when that ever ends. If the trade somehow gets voided and/or Leonard gets suspended, the NBA might consider a different team for this slot. But if he is a member of the Raptors, this game would be fun to watch.
76ers vs. Cavaliers
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Rocket Arena (Cleveland)
After James made Silver wait for the NBA to create the schedule, he is going to make him work (on the road) on Christmas Day. What better matchup than James going home to Cleveland for (potentially) one of the final times in his career? Again, the league can go multiple different directions for the team they want the 76ers to play on Christmas, but giving James a homecoming would be perfect. It’s also a matchup of two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Spurs vs. Thunder
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
The theme of these predictions is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The primetime game of Christmas Day should be Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio for all the same reasons they should play on opening night. They’re arguably the two best teams in the league heading into the season with megastars, particularly Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, on each side. No, we probably won’t get LeBron James vs. Steph Curry again on Christmas Day, but this would be ideal for the league’s next chapter as this heated rivalry continues to grow.
Warriors vs. Lakers
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles)
Multiple deserving teams are not on the Christmas Day slate. Sure, the Lakers don’t have James anymore and the Warriors might be fighting to reach the play-in this season, but it’s still two of the biggest brands in the sport with star power on each side. Curry is still box office. Luka Dončić is going to be one of the top MVP contenders with James heading East. The final game normally features West Coast teams because of the late start, so this would check both of those boxes. It’s hard to imagine the Lakers and Warriors (until Curry retires) not playing on Christmas Day.