New York landed in, perhaps and on paper, the softest group in either conference. The Knicks will face the Hornets and Bulls on the road while hosting the Heat and defending Cup champion Bucks at Madison Square Garden.

The NBA Cup champion Bucks will open defense of their in-season tournament title with pool play beginning Oct. 31. will be in East Group C with New York, Chicago, Miami and Charlotte. The Bucks will host the Bulls and Hornets and face the Knicks and Heat on the road.

NBA Cup will be one of the marquee moments in the early part of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. The groups for the tournament have now been revealed, with the Milwaukee Bucks being set to enter the tournament’s easiest group.

“Nobody has bigger expectations, first of all, than I do,” Brown said. “My expectations are high. This is the Knicks. I talked about Madison Square Garden being iconic. I talked about our fans. I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Mike Brown knows there's going to be pressure that comes with coaching the Knicks. He also knows there's a great roster and great restaurants waiting in New York. He's excited about all of it. The new Knicks coach shook off any concerns about taking over a team that fired Tom Thibodeau despite getting two wins from the NBA Finals,