Category: Deportes

At this time of the NBA offseason, most teams typically have their roster work completed and find themselves ready for a new season. This has not been a normal offseason for the Miami Heat.

Miami traded four players and three first-round picks (plus a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick) to pry two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee in late June. Then, the Heat attempted to convince four-time NBA MVP LeBron James to return to Miami for his final chapter, only to watch the 41-year-old sign with the Philadelphia 76ers three weeks into July.

Now, with less than two months until the start of training camp, the Heat have three open roster spots and lingering questions left to answer.

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Building an above-average offense

Miami’s ceiling and potential for contention in the Eastern Conference will most likely be based upon its defense. That is the easiest part of the team to project reaching an elite level next season, but there are still significant questions on the other end of the floor.

Antetokounmpo’s individual offensive statistics are staggering. Before trying to play through injuries for much of last season, he had three straight years with the Bucks where he averaged at least 30 points and five assists per game, all while shooting better than 55 percent from the field. Per Stathead, he was the first person since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972-73) and one of only three players in NBA history to do that.

Leading into the 13th game of last season — the one in which he suffered his first serious injury — Antetokounmpo was averaging 32.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per contest while shooting 63 percent.

To be clear, Antetokounmpo doesn’t just compile big numbers for himself.

The Bucks never had an offensive rating drop below the 83rd percentile with Antetokounmpo on the floor over the last eight seasons, and the offensive rating with him on the floor was above the 90th percentile in three of those eight, per Cleaning the Glass. After being part of the lineup with the NBA’s highest offensive efficiency (min. 200 possessions) in the 2022-23 season, Antetokounmpo has been a part of at least one lineup that has finished the season in the top 11 in offensive efficiency for the last four years. Before last season, the Bucks were top 10 in six of the previous seven seasons.

But Bucks general manager Jon Horst spent each offseason perfecting his approach to building around Antetokounmpo and identifying the players needed to maximize the 10-time All-Star. With Antetokounmpo performing at an MVP level for the last eight seasons, Horst fine-tuned that approach as best he could. Pat Riley and Andy Elisburg don’t have that opportunity in Miami, seeing as they’ve already used most of their assets to acquire Antetokounmpo.

With their remaining three roster spots, the Heat must seek players who accentuate Antetokounmpo’s strengths and take advantage of his gravitational pull.

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Improving 3-point shooting

In trying to build a contending roster around Antetokounmpo, the Bucks always tried to stuff their roster with 3-point shooting. After finishing the 2024-25 season first in 3-point percentage, the Bucks ranked second last season and finished top 10 in 3-point percentage in four of Antetokounmpo’s final five seasons in Milwaukee.

While the Heat may look for different types of players and head coach Erik Spoelstra may ask players to do more than just shoot 3s, it would be logical to expect them to look for more 3-point shooting to help Antetokounmpo.

Last season, no one on the Heat took more 3s per game than Tyler Herro (6.7 attempts, 37.8 percent) and Norman Powell (7.1 attempts, 38 percent). Neither player will be with the Heat this upcoming season. Bam Adebayo took the next most but made just 31.8 percent of the 5.1 3s he attempted per game.

After Adebayo, the Heat have five players from last season who took at least two 3s per game: Andrew Wiggins (4.9 attempts, 41.4 percent), Simone Fontecchio (4.7 attempts, 37.5 percent), Nikola Jović (3.6 attempts, 26.9 percent), Davion Mitchell (3.3 attempts, 39.5 percent) and Pelle Larsson (2.7 attempts, 32.3 percent).

They also added Bobby Portis (4.4 attempts, 45.6 percent) in the trade for Antetokounmpo and signed Tim Hardaway Jr. (6.9 attempts, 40.7 percent) as a free agent. Both players would have been among Miami’s top 3-point shooters last season, but the Heat will still need internal development to maximize the spacing around Antetokounmpo.

With Antetokounmpo, 3-point looks will likely be more open and less difficult, but his teammates will either need to increase their 3-point volume or raise their shooting percentage to provide as much spacing as possible.

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Deciding how to defend

Similar to Antetokounmpo on the offensive end, Adebayo being on the floor has meant good things for the Heat defensively.

Over the last five seasons, Heat lineups including Adebayo have never finished below the 75th percentile leaguewide, according to Cleaning the Glass. Those lineups finished the 2023-24 season in the 89th percentile and the 2021-22 season in the 94th percentile. Last season was the first time the Heat finished outside of the top 10 in defensive rating since the 2014-15 campaign.

Antetokounmpo’s defensive effort has waned over the years due to his increased offensive duties, but his defensive skill set remains unquestioned. He has the quickness, strength and intelligence to guard multiple positions and make a significant impact. Wiggins has great size and capably defends big wings while also being an intelligent team defender. Mitchell is one of the NBA’s most annoying on-ball defenders against point guards.

With those four, the Heat have the basis for a group that should finish the season in the top 10, if not the top five, of defensive rating. For Miami to get the most out of its most talented defensive players, Spoelstra will have to decide exactly how to deploy them.

Over the last five seasons, the crux of Miami’s strong defensive efforts has been a low free-throw rate, strong defensive rebounding and a limit on shots allowed at the rim. By not sending teams to the free-throw line at a high rate, limiting second-chance opportunities and not letting teams get all the way to the rim, the Heat have limited opponents’ access to the easiest points.

They’ve done all of that while also being one of the most physical teams in the NBA and utilizing more versatile schemes than just about anyone in the league. Per a league source with Second Spectrum access, Miami switched on 38 percent of the pick-and-rolls they defended last season, which ranked third behind the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. Additionally, the Heat were top five in switch frequency in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Spoelstra also has been one of the league’s most prominent adopters of zone defense strategies.

In the end, the Heat have talented defenders, and they’re coached by one of the most creative defensive minds in the NBA. They will likely be one of the best defensive teams next season; it’s just a matter of how Spoelstra wants to use his personnel to get that done.

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Eric Nehm is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Milwaukee Bucks. Previously, he covered the Bucks at ESPN Milwaukee and wrote the book “100 Things Bucks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” Nehm was named NSMA’s 2022 Wisconsin Sports Writer of the Year. You can follow Eric on X @eric_nehmn.

Keep your friends close and your rivals closer. This twist on the old saying is appropriate throughout the NBA and especially on the first Prime Friday of next season.

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (7 p.m. ET, Prime). There’s so much history here, and the present looks rich as well. Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET, Prime) in Austin. Texas is barely big enough for both of these divisional foes, linked by the I-10 highway and a heavy amount of respect and suspicion of one another.

As the 2026-27 season plows through the weeks and months ahead, there’s every reason to expect an entertaining series between these teams and the very real chance that a post-season meeting could result as well come next spring.

But that’s all down the road. When they tip off on First Friday, these four can deliver early messages and also position themselves favorably not only in their divisions but the conference standings as well.

Celtics-Knicks offers something old and new.

The old: Well, that would be their playoff history — a total of 16 series overall. Two years ago, in their most recent playoff engagement, the Knicks sent the then-defending champions Celtics home in six games. That was when Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in the waning moments of a tremendous Game Four when he scored 42 points and engaged in a sensational scoring duel with Jalen Brunson.

That injury obviously was a momentum changer for the Celtics, who lost the series and also Tatum for much of last season. And that series and injury sent both teams in different directions. While the Knicks did lose to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals that year, it was the last time they dropped a playoff series.

As for Tatum, he now enters this season with a bit of incentive, not only to restore himself as an All-NBA talent, but to do so without Jaylen Brown, who’s now with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The new: There’s a twist to this rivalry, caused by the Knicks’ championship last summer and the subsequent realities of winning. In their effort to remain financially sustainable, the Knicks allowed big man Mitchell Robinson to sign as a free agent with … the Celtics, of all teams. Robinson will be missed in New York, not only because he’s among the league’s better rebounders and a decent defender, but he fills a major need in Boston and supplies depth at center.

It’ll be interesting to see Robinson battle against Karl-Anthony Towns in this game, and even more interesting, will Knicks coach Mike Brown instruct his players to intentionally foul Robinson and send him to the free throw line, as opposing coaches did many times before when Robinson was a Knick?

Speaking of big men, Rockets-Spurs offers a pair of young centers who don’t reflect each other’s styles yet manage to make an impact whenever they suit up.

Victor Wembanyama could make a serious bid for MVP if he takes another leap in his development. Coincidentally enough, he trained this summer with Hakeem Olajuwon, the legendary Rockets center. Wembanyama apparently went to Olajuwon to polish his inside game, and Wemby couldn’t have chosen a better instructor. Olajuwon’s footwork was impeccable during his career and helped his signature move — the Dream Shake. The two also had something else in common; Olajuwon was the NBA leader in blocked shots and Wemby led all players last season.

He’ll need his defensive instincts to keep Alperen Sengun in check. The shifty Rockets center has the type of tricky moves inside the paint that Wemby wants to emulate. Sengun had issues with Wemby and the Spurs last season, scoring more than 20 points only once in four games; the Spurs won three of those contests.

There’s of course Kevin Durant as well for the Rockets. Much like LeBron James, Durant keeps defying age; he’ll be 38 when this game tips. He nonetheless led the Rockets in scoring last season at 26 points. The last time Durant averaged less than that number in a single season was 2016-17, which was understandable; that was his first with Golden State and next to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. His average hasn’t dipped under 25 since his rookie season.

Durant will be charged with, once again, helping the young Rockets learn how to prosper and feel comfortable as a contender. Which means Houston looks to get improved results from Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr., among others.

It’s also about the Spurs’ young players and their quest for the next level, starting with the Rockets-Spurs game, which could drop hints of an upcoming breakout season from Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and maybe even Carter Bryant.

As for the Rockets, they anxiously await the return of Fred VanVleet, who missed all of last season while recovering from injury, while hoping for improved leadership with the addition of Marcus Smart, who arrives from the Los Angeles Lakers. The ability of these two veteran guards to make the Rockets a smarter and less reckless team will heavily determine Houston’s chances of winning 50 games and finishing high in the West.

So these two games — Knicks-Celtics, Rockets-Spurs — are well worth ushering in the opening weekend of next season. If the signals emitting from those four teams heading into the season are indeed as positive as they seem, then this will be prime entertainment — not just on First Friday, but beyond.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.

The NBA schedule sticks to tradition on the first day of the season: The reigning champion receives its rings and then hosts a very good or great team to launch the new campaign.

This tried-and-true formula is designed to yank the curtains open rather than pull them, provide some fireworks, and lay the groundwork for the next several months.

The matchup should be one for the ages this season with the New York Knicks being officially crowned for the first time in 53 years. And on the other bench at MSG: LeBron James, starting his record 24th season, now with his fourth team, the potentially formidable Philadelphia 76ers.

There are two other games carried on NBC/Peacock on Oct. 20 — the San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in a Western Conference Finals rematch, and the Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics, strong Eastern contenders, tip off the action at 3 p.m. ET.

That’s appointment TV all day Tuesday, which by the end of it, Madison Square Garden will be littered with lasting memories and maybe some hints of what’s to come.

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LeBron makes Sixers debut at MSG

This heavyweight Knicks-Sixers game holds equal intrigue for both teams. Putting these divisional rivals on the floor was an easy call and made possible by the headlining player who still commands attention and respect.

LeBron will attach another fascinating chapter to his career at tipoff. He remains productive as he approaches 42, arguably a top 15 player among his much-younger peers and possible game-changer at this advanced stage and age — astonishingly so.

When he chose to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency this summer, it was done with a purpose: to seek rejuvenation, a new challenge. And of course a fifth championship.

LeBron’s instincts and basketball soul search led him to the Sixers, a surprising decision only because he had no previous history or deep relationship with the city, franchise or any of his new teammates. While Miami and Cleveland wept, Philly rejoiced. Suddenly, the Sixers, exhausted by years of waiting for The Process to pay off with a ring, have a legitimate chance.

The reason: This Philly team goes deeper than just LeBron. Getting Jaylen Brown from the rival Celtics in a stunning summer trade looms as among the most important transactions in franchise history. Not only is Brown still in his prime at 29, not only is he coming off an MVP-contending season where he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and five assists … but he was acquired just before LeBron signed as a free agent.

Which means if LeBron was ever on the fence about going elsewhere this summer, the Brown trade was the tipping point in Philly’s favor.

And it’s deeper than LeBron and Brown. There’s Tyrese Maxey, a certified scorer in the league, who also was All-NBA last season. And VJ Edgecombe made the All-Rookie team. And finally, there’s the one who’ll ultimately decide the Sixers’ fate, oft-injured Joel Embiid, a former MVP whose main goal is to finish the season the way he’ll start it — on two feet instead of the bench.

This is an intoxicating basketball mix that has raised the temperature in Philadelphia and no doubt will do the same in the Garden against the defending champions. The Sixers were swept by the Knicks in the playoffs last spring but obviously that was without LeBron, and also a healthy Embiid, who missed one game and battled ailments in the others. This will be a far different Philly team.

The Knicks, by all accounts though, will not surrender easily if at all — on Opening Night or the season. This team is built to last and repeat as champs, not just on talent, but purpose. The determination they showed during their 2026 post-season run was convincing enough. And the way they constantly rallied from behind and closed out the NBA Finals, with a historic comeback in one game, proved the resiliency of the group led by Jalen Brunson in the victory over the Spurs.

It’s safe to assume the Spurs learned lessons from that five-game series, where they led by double-digit margins in their four losses. Therefore, the upcoming season is one of redemption for the mostly-young group, which spent a portion of the off-season training with Victor Wembanyama in his Paris hometown.

That demonstrated unity and growth and a purpose, which the Spurs will be anxious to display against their biggest threat in the West if not the entire NBA.

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West Finals Rematch

Oklahoma City fits that description; after all, the Thunder are only 14 months removed from a championship. Also, despite a summer of reshuffling — key figures from the bench were rerouted to other teams mainly for financial reasons — the Thunder return all of the necessary pieces and ingredients for a championship rebound.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a two-time MVP. Jalen Williams is fully mended from injuries that interrupted his 2025-26 season. And Chet Holmgren is certainly smarter, if not hungrier, after losing a duel against Wemby in the playoffs last season.

The Spurs were a constant irritation for OKC, beating the Thunder eight times in 12 games, playoffs included. While it’s always tricky to assume anything in the NBA, even from one season to the next, the Spurs and Thunder are constructed to annoy each other for the foreseeable future — therefore it makes sense to restart their rivalry on Opening Night.

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East Battle in Detroit

There’s also a Pistons-Celtics tip which, on almost any other day, would stand alone on its merits. Even with the understandable commotion swirling around the Sixers this season, and the presence of the Knicks, what’s lost is that the Pistons had the best record in the East for all but the first few months of last season. That longevity doesn’t happen by accident.

It happened because Cade Cunningham stamped himself as a complete player — someone who elevated the performance of his teammates through his passing and leadership, played well defensively, finished among the league scoring leaders and came through in clutch situations.

The Celtics have won an average of nearly 60 games the last three seasons although this one will be without Brown, who helped carry the club in 2025-26 virtually without Jayson Tatum. Therefore, as he seeks a full season with a repaired Achilles, Tatum must navigate as a solo star, which might require an MVP-flavored effort if the Celtics intend to approach 60 wins again.

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New York’s Celebration

The epicenter of Opening Night will be in New York City, though, as it should. It’s a night the Knicks and their fans have waited over five decades to experience. It’s when Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby will align with Walt Frazier and Willis Reed and Earl Monroe. It’s the night where past Knicks champions become linked with the present.

The demand among fans to be seen and to witness this game against LeBron and the Sixers and the raising of the championship banner will be on par with any Finals game in New York last summer. That’s because the NBA will open this season with a level of anticipation that matches the way last season ended.

You can’t ask more from a season opener in that regard.

When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver distributes the championship rings at the Garden, one journey will officially close.

And minutes later, another begins.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the New York Knicks will raise an NBA championship banner to the rafters of Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1973 as part of a first day of the season tripleheader on NBC and Peacock.

The 2026-27 NBA Schedule Release presented by Ticketmaster tipped off on Tuesday morning with marquee early-season games announced on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS Mornings.

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Tuesday, Oct. 20: Can’t-miss season-opening tripleheader on NBC/Peacock

• Boston at Detroit (3 p.m. ET): After finishing 1-2 in the East standings during the regular season, neither the Pistons (60-22) nor Celtics (56-26) reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams shook up their rosters in the offseason as they look to make another run in a deep Eastern Conference.

• Philadelphia at New York (7 p.m. ET): The Knicks will receive their rings and raise their championship banner to commemorate the 2025-26 NBA title before welcoming the new-look 76ers to The Garden as this longtime rivalry begins a new chapter. Philly added 2024 champion and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown from Boston along with four-time MVP, four-time champ, four-time Finals MVP and 22-time All-Star LeBron James as he begins his record-extending 24th season.

• Oklahoma City at San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET): In addition to finishing 1-2 in the West standings during the regular season, the Thunder and Spurs met in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals (a two-point Spurs win) and the Western Conference Finals (a 4-3 Spurs win). Between the regular season, NBA Cup and playoffs, these teams delivered 12 must-see matchups last season. This will be their first in 2026-27.

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In addition to a stacked Opening Night slate, a pair of Opening Week ESPN doubleheaders were also announced on Tuesday morning, featuring star players in new cities and the winners of the last nine Kia NBA MVP awards.

Wednesday, Oct. 21: Opening Week doubleheader on ESPN

• Minnesota at Miami (7:30 p.m. ET): This game features two of the biggest names to change teams in the offseason, with Giannis Antetokounmpo making his Heat debut as Miami hosts Minnesota and new Timberwolves point guard LaMelo Ball.

• Golden State at Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET): Only two players averaged at least four 3-pointers made per game last season — Steph Curry (4.4) and Luka Dončić (4.0). These two sharpshooters open the season against one another in an all-California clash.

Thursday, Oct. 22: Opening Week doubleheader on ESPN

• Cleveland at Philadelphia (7 p.m. ET): When making his “last decision” in free agency, James considered signing with Cleveland and returning to where his NBA career began and won a title in 2016. However, in the end he chose to join the Sixers and will make his home debut in Philadelphia against the franchise where he spent 11 of his first 23 seasons. This also marks the home debut for Brown and Philly’s first in-person look at its new squad.

• Denver at Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m. ET): The winners of five of the last six Kia NBA MVPs will face off for the first time this season as reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2025, 2026) and the Thunder host three-time MVP Nikola Jokić (2021, 2022, 2024) and the Nuggets. In addition to the MVP matchup, these teams have recent playoff history, with OKC defeating Denver in seven games in the 2025 West Semis.

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Prime Video opens its second season of NBA coverage with a Friday doubleheader during Opening Week featuring a pair of classic rivalries.

Friday, Oct. 23: Opening Week doubleheader on Prime Video

• New York at Boston (7 p.m. ET): No two teams have faced each other more in the regular season than the Knicks and Celtics, with over 500 head-to-head matchups dating back to Dec. 7, 1946. Add in 15 playoff series, most recently in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Knicks won in six games and saw Boston’s Jayson Tatum suffer an Achilles tear. With Tatum healthy, how will the Celtics match up with the defending champs? 

• Houston at San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET) in Austin: It’s a Texas-sized showdown as Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs host Kevin Durant and the Rockets in the nightcap. This neutral site match-up will take place in the city where Durant played college hoops for the University of Texas for a season 20 years ago in 2006-07. The Spurs won the season series 3-1 in 2025-26 after the Rockets had owned the previous two seasons with a 6-2 edge in head-to-head meetings. In 11 career games against Houston, Wembanyama has averaged just 19.1 points per game — his second-lowest average against any opponent. Will that trend continue, or is Wemby due for a breakout game against an in-state rival?

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The holiday tradition of NBA basketball on Christmas Day continues with an action-packed five-game slate across ABC and ESPN.

This marks the 79th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day, which dates back to 1947 in the league’s second season, and the 19th straight year featuring five games and many of the league’s brightest stars.

Friday, Dec. 25: NBA on Christmas Day on ABC/ESPN

• San Antonio at New York (12 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): What better way to tip off the holiday than with a rematch of the epic 2026 NBA Finals between Jalen Brunson’s Knicks and Wembanyama’s Spurs. The last time these two met at Madison Square Garden on June 10, OG Anunoby delivered a series-altering tip-in to cap off a historic Knicks comeback in Game 4 of the Finals — a shot that will be forever remembered in New York lore.

• Miami at Boston (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): While some of the player names have changed, this long-time rivalry between the Heat and Celtics continues to burn bright. These franchises have already clashed four times in the playoffs in the 2020s. However, Boston has had the better of the recent regular-season matchups, winning 10 of the last 11 matchups over the last three seasons.

• Philadelphia at Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): After spending eight seasons in Los Angeles, James returns to L.A. for the first time since leaving the Lakers to join the Sixers in free agency. This matchup also presents a chance at history. After becoming the first father-son duo to share the court together as teammates with L.A., LeBron and Bronny James can also be the first father and son to face each other in an NBA game.

• Oklahoma City at Minnesota (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): Ball makes his NBA on Christmas Day debut as he, Anthony Edwards and the new-look Wolves host Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. These teams split their season series 2-2 in 2025-26 after OKC had eliminated Minnesota 4-1 in the 2025 Western Conference Finals.

• Denver at Golden State (10:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN): The Christmas Day slate concludes with a matchup of two game-changers in NBA history. Curry ushered in the league’s 3-point revolution with his otherworldly deep shooting ability. Jokić redefined how a center can impact the game, becoming only the third player — and only non-guard — to average a triple-double in a season.