CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Philadelphia 76ers are in the process of preparing for a big test on opening night when they pay a visit to the defending champion New York Knicks. It's going to be an emotionally charged night as the Sixers debuts of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown will be at the forefront while it's also championship ring night for the Knicks.
All of that can be overwhelming for anybody, let alone a rookie guard looking to make his NBA debut. No. 22 pick Labaron Philon Jr.'s introduction to the league will be a raucous Madison Square Garden as he looks to make an impact on the team and get his career off to a good start.
"I think it's going to be a pretty good game for me, just playing in The Garden last year as a college game type of thing for Alabama," Philon said at practice on Monday. "But I think this time it's going to be more people, more fans, more exciting, and I'll say more nerves definitely for the first game, but definitely getting all that out the way and just focus on winning the game, focus on helping my team do whatever we need to do to win the game and make sure everybody's ready and prepared."
With that being said, one has to wonder how Philon handles all of the nerves and emotions of this moment. It isn't just a normal game. It's his NBA debut against the world champs in their house on a night the Knicks are getting their rings and raising the banner. The arena is going to be on another level.
"Really just try to do something outside of basketball," Philon explained. "Like play the game or talk to my family and stuff like that. But I'll say I'll get that out of the way pretty soon. But just coming into the first game, it's going to be great."
This is an exciting time in the NBA as teams get set to begin another run at the Larry O'Brien trophy. The Sixers will be one of those teams as they look to make a statement against a team that swept them out of the playoffs back in May.
"I feel like growing up as a kid, just watching all the first games and I really haven't seen these kinds of matchups throughout the NBA like it is this year," Philon finished. "You got a lot of teams that played each other last year in the playoffs and stuff like that, playing each other for the first game. So I feel like both teams are really going to try to impose their will and be battle-tested. So you got to see who come out on top really."
The Sixers and Knicks will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 76ers rookie Labaron Philon Jr. discusses handling nerves before debut