The defending champions open the preseason Monday, October 5, in Philadelphia at 7:00 PM ET on MSG, and Posting and Toasting expects the starters to barely play. Mike Brown plans to ease Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns in after a short summer, which leaves the minutes for the bubble guys: Mohamed Diawara, still trying to follow a promising rookie year with something better than his summer league, and James Wiseman, Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanks, who are fighting for the third-string center job behind Towns and Andre Drummond. The opponent is the part worth repeating, since the 76ers now have LeBron James and Jaylen Brown next to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and the site expects the early going to look like an All-Star game with everyone waiting for someone else to be less alpha. Hart is still playing through a damaged finger, Brunson has reportedly looked sharp after wrist surgery, and the site's pick is Knicks by six in a game nobody wants to show anything in before banner night at the Garden.