The new-look Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the defending NBA champion New York Knicks on Tuesday night in their season opener.
Led by Tyrese Maxey’s 28-point performance and major contributions from Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, the Sixers won 106-100 after outscoring the Knicks by 10 points in the second half.
Charles Barkley Makes Strong Statement on 76ers
During the first episode of “Inside the NBA” of the year on Wednesday night, NBA legend Charles Barkley made a strong statement about the 76ers, declaring that he believes they’re the clear favorite in the Eastern Conference.
“Contenders… Philly is the number one pick in the East in my opinion. And then, there’s six other teams,” Barkley said.
Kenny Smith then jumped in, arguing that the Knicks are the best team in the East.
“The Knicks are above those guys… I just think the Knicks have a winning philosophy and they showed that.”
Charles Barkley says the 76ers are the number 1 team to BEAT in the Eastern Conference 👀 https://t.co/6aj8motoxB
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) October 21, 2026
Barkley Believes Maxey & Brown Are the Best Players on Philly
Barkley also spoke with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s “Unfiltered” on Wednesday afternoon and explained why he believes Maxey and Brown are the cornerstones of the 76ers.
“The two best players on the team are Maxey and Jaylen Brown. LeBron he’s going to be a facilitator. But those two guys are going to be the reason that the Sixers win a championship,” Barkley said. “Now, they need and LeBron and Joel to play well but if they’re going to win a championship Maxey has to keep doing what he’s done the last three years and Jaylen has to play the way he did last year.
“I think when I watched that game last night. I think in the beginning Tyrese was kind of deferring instead of hell no play like you always play. Like a wild man with your hair on fire.
“They can’t defer to LeBron or Joel. Maxey and Brown they’re the two best players on the team. They have to go out and do there thing and LeBron and Joel they’re going have to fit in where they fit in.”
James’ Takeaways From Knicks Win
Following the team’s victory on Tuesday night, James, who’s in his 24th season at age 41, shared his thoughts on the team’s first performance together.
“I could be a lot better. Still getting my rhythm. Just a little over two weeks with the new squad but I liked the way we played. I think we played exceptionally well, especially defensively. Didn’t shoot the ball well, but we got capable shooters. We know that,” James said. “It’s about winning… blessed to be able to play still at this level.”
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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