The 2025-26 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday night. We were officially introduced to our new (old?) pals at NBA on NBC, with Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, and Jamal Crawford on the call for the season-opener. I enjoyed this crew — you can hear Miller’s love for the game in the way he commentates, and Crawford is going to kill it with his one-liners. Plus, Tirico is a legend. Roundball Rock was being hummed all night long in my household. NBC/Peacock has passed the first test. You’re up next, ESPN.
But before we look too far ahead on our inevitable path to criticizing the many (too many) streaming services we now have at our fingertips for NBA games, let’s talk about the on-court action from opening night.