As the NBA’s 2026-27 opening night approaches, we look back at the 2025-26 season and reflect on the New York Knicks’ overdue championship and wonder if they will win their season opener. We’ll also detail the past three NBA Champions to lose their subsequent season opener. It’s important not to give too much weight to a recent season champion’s ability to win their first game of the next season: a lot can change over the summer.
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New York Knicks’ 2025-26 NBA Championship
Fifty-three years. That’s how long the Knicks waited for an NBA Championship, and when the drought ended in San Antonio on June 13, 2026, Jalen Brunson was buried in a towel, weeping beside his father Rick, a Knicks assistant.
Mike Brown, hired after Tom Thibodeau’s exit following the 2025 conference finals loss to Indiana, had built something sturdier. A 53-29 regular season and the NBA Cup, with Brunson its MVP, became a 16-3 playoff run: Atlanta in six, sweeps of Philadelphia and Cleveland, a 13-game winning streak, Brunson’s conference finals MVP, and a record +283 point differential.
Then came San Antonio. Down 29 in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks won 107-106 on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left; Brunson’s 45 points sealed a 94-90 clincher and a 4-1 series win, along with Finals MVP. It was the first title since 1973, and the first Cup-and-championship double in league history.
The Summer Since the Knicks’ Finest Hour
The summer since brought change without upheaval. Mitchell Robinson left for Boston, Andre Drummond arrived, and Brunson had left wrist surgery in July, but the core of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart stayed intact. Brunson insisted the group didn’t want to “talk about the trophy,” and one look at the perhaps somewhat disrespectful early-season championship odds may suggest why.
Worth at Bet?
The Knicks are currently +900 to win the 2026-27 NBA Championship at BetRivers, with the Thunder and and Spurs both sitting at +250, and the 76ers also at +900.
Offshore odds are about the same in most cases. For example, customers residing outside the United States can bet on NBA at Thunderpick, with the popular crypto bookmaker currently listing the defending champion Knicks as a +900 fourth-favorite to repeat as champions, with each of the Thunder +260, Spurs +270, and 76ers +850 all considered more likely champions.
Follow The Trend
The banner went up against that 76ers side that has shorter championship odds, a side rebuilt around Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, with Joel Embiid declared healthy. A year ago, Oklahoma City raised its own and edged Kevin Durant’s Houston 125-124 in a double-overtime thriller, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s two free throws with 2.3 seconds left completing a 35-point night. Defending champions have now won their opener in five straight seasons. But what about the last three who didn’t?
Other Championship Teams’ Season Openers
Let’s review what’s happened with other championship teams and their their subsequent season openers. Here’s a list of familiar names and what happened next.
2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers
How do you prepare for a game an hour after receiving a championship ring? Nobody had tried it off a shorter summer. Los Angeles went 52-19 to top the West, then beat Portland, Houston, and Denver in five apiece in the Orlando bubble, Anthony Davis’s buzzer-beater settling Game 2 of the conference finals, and an injury-hit Miami 4-2. LeBron James took his fourth Finals MVP after a 106-93 Game 6.
After that, Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol, and Wesley Matthews arrived; James extended, and Davis re-signed; a repeat looked safe. Yet 72 days after the clincher, ring night against the Clippers in an empty Staples Center turned early. Down 22 in the first quarter, Frank Vogel’s Lakers clawed back to 56-54 at half-time and 75-75 in the third, only for Paul George to score 26 of his 33 after the break. Kawhi Leonard added 26 in a 116-109 Clippers win.
“The game comes quick, and you’ve got to get focused,” Vogel said. Injuries followed: 42-30, seventh, a play-in win over Golden State, then a 4-2 first-round exit to Phoenix after Davis hurt his groin.
2017-18 Golden State Warriors
Losing Kevin Durant to a late-season knee injury barely slowed a 67-15 juggernaut. Golden State swept Portland, Utah, and San Antonio, then beat Cleveland 4-1, with Durant’s late three over James in Game 3 the dagger, and his Finals MVP capped a 16-1 run.
Stephen Curry then signed his supermax, Durant took less to keep Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston, Nick Young, and Omri Casspi arrived, and Houston traded for Chris Paul. Golden State led by 17 at one point on banner night against Houston and had double figures entering the fourth, then managed just 20 points in that final stanza.
James Harden’s layup and P.J. Tucker’s free throws with 44.1 seconds left made it 122-121. Confetti fell when Durant’s baseline jumper dropped — until the two remaining referees, the third injured in the fourth, ruled it late. Harden had 27, Eric Gordon 24, and Tucker 20; Paul managed four on 2 of 9. No lasting hangover.
A 58-24 finish behind Houston and a Curry knee sprain gave way to wins over San Antonio and New Orleans, a recovery from 3-2 down against a Paul-less Houston, a Finals sweep of Cleveland, and Durant’s second Finals MVP. A banner night defeat clearly wasn’t the be-all-and-end-all.
2011-12 Dallas Mavericks
Few champions have unraveled so fast. Dallas won 57 games as the West’s third seed in 2011 despite losing Caron Butler, beat Portland, swept the two-time champion Lakers and needed five games for Oklahoma City before stunning Miami: back from 15 down in Game 2, Dirk Nowitzki fighting a fever in Game 4, the title sealed in Miami, and Nowitzki named Finals MVP. Then the lockout hit.
Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea left; Lamar Odom, Vince Carter, and Delonte West came in while Mark Cuban kept an eye on cap space, and Miami were favorites for a 66-game sprint. On Christmas Day, the Heat waited in their locker room as the banner rose, then made Dallas pay, leading by 35 early in the second half.
James scored 37 and Dwyane Wade 26 in a 105-94 win, while Odom managed four points before being ejected. What does it say when a debut goes that badly? Odom left the team in April. Dallas finished 36-30 and seventh; Oklahoma City swept them in the first round, and they haven’t won a championship since.
NBA Betting Resources
- NBA Betting Guide – Learn how to bet on the NBA with point spreads, totals, moneylines, and exotic bets like parlays, teasers, prop bets and futures.
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- NBA Odds – Latest odds for upcoming NBA matchups, including team NBA finals, conference, and division futures.
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- NBA Underdogs – Review underdogs point spread and moneyline betting opportunities for upcoming NBA matchups.
- NBA Futures Odds – Review odds for popular NBA futures events, including the NBA Championship, Eastern and Western conference winners, division winners, regular season MVP award, and other player awards.
- NBA Win Total Odds – Review regular season win total lines and odds for each team. Remember to place you bet before each team’s first game of the regular season.
- Undefeated NBA Teams – See which teams are still undefeated in the current regular season.
- NBA Championship Betting – We explain the best bets for the NBA finals, plus you can see the latest NBA Finals futures.
- Eastern Conference Win Totals – Season win totals for every NBA Eastern Conference team.
- Western Conference Win Totals – Win totals for every Western Conference NBA team.
- Halftime Middling – Learn how to make a bet a halftime that can’t lose. We explain how halftime middling can work for NBA and college basketball games.
- Five-Game Rolling Average – Use a team’s five game rolling average stats to sharpen up your handicap analyses and making winning NBA bets.
- NBA Team Betting Odds – Latest odds for each NBA team, including upcoming matchups, futures, and season specials.