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The first game of the 2026-27 NBA regular season will officially tip off in the middle of the afternoon, and NBC hopes it can become an annual addition to the league’s traditional opening night schedule.
The Detroit Pistons are set to host the Boston Celtics at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with “College Gameday-style activations,” a “Blue Carpet” experience, a marching band rendition of “Roundball Rock” and other special festivities planned around Little Caesars Arena and downtown Detroit throughout the day, according to NBA league officials. The afternoon tip is an experiment conceived by the NBA and NBC entering Year 2 of their massive 11-year, $27-billion media rights partnership, with the goal of turning opening night into an all-day event.
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“We kind of challenged the NBA,” NBC Sports Executive Vice President Justin Byczek told USA TODAY Sports. “We think opening day should be expanded, and we’d love to be the network that gets behind it, and over the course of the next decade, let’s try to understand where opening day can get to.”
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
(Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
3. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
(Wendell Cruz, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
4. Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
(Marc Lebryk, Imagn Images)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat
(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
6. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images)
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Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players
7. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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Jokić, Shai or…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-celtics-vs-pistons-opening-171628682.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-19 17:16:00
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