LeBron James silenced Madison Square Garden on his Philadelphia 76ers debut, spoiling the New York Knicks' banner night with a 106-100 victory in the season opener. Before tip-off, the Knicks raised their first NBA championship banner in 53 years, and the home crowd greeted the 41-year-old with chants of "we don't want you". James, who is starting a record 24th season after joining Philadelphia as a free agent following eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes. In the third quarter he traded words with courtside fans who had called him soft. "Ain't nothing soft from the Midwest, I don't know what the f-ck you talking about," James fired back. "I'm not from the West Coast. I'm from Ohio baby, I'm not a Midwest kid, I'm a Ohio baby. F-ck is you talking about."
The Knicks knocked out Philadelphia's core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in last season's playoffs, but Embiid believes the arrivals of James and Jaylen Brown, acquired in a trade with the Boston Celtics, have given the team a different level of talent. "I told Tyrese after the game, we've been going against these guys for the last couple years, but tonight felt a little different than the past," Embiid said. "I think just we have the talent... If I want to be All-Defense like I used to be, that changes everything for our team."
