NEW YORK – After three weeks of focusing on themselves, the Sixers have spent the last two days focusing on an opponent. Are they ready to knock off the defending champions in their first game together?

"I think it's hard to know, until we get there tomorrow," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said on Monday. "I think we don't really get a ton of – other than some minutes and some conditioning – you don't get a read of much of anything in the preseason, so, I feel good about the work we've put in and the focus these guys have had. I obviously feel great, [Joel Embiid is] ready to go. Those things weren't going on a year ago. So there are a lot of things to be positive about. I think it's a pretty tough test to start with, with the group, so I'm certainly looking forward to it. I'm interested to see where we are, and I'm interested to see our compete level and our fight in a tough environment tomorrow."

For a new-look roster integrating both LeBron James and Jaylen Brown within a starting lineup also featuring Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, it will be a colossal challenge to go into a raucous environment and beat a New York Knicks team coming off one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history.

"I think we’re all confident in what we can do on this court, what we’ve been putting on in training camp," veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said on Tuesday morning. "I think our chemistry is not where it needs to be yet, but it’s getting there. I think it’s going to show tonight and throughout the season."

Three in-game decisions stand out as particularly important for Nurse as he takes on his first challenge of many in 2026-27:

Invert matchups or guard straight-up?

The first quandary opposing coaches face when going up against the Knicks' well-spaced offense: Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the best stretch fives to ever play, can dominate centers either unable to or uninterested in moving on the perimeter. Embiid fits at least one of those descriptions if not both. Yet, for all of Embiid's struggles on his feet in recent years, Nurse has rarely done what many coaches have to muck up New York's prolific offense.

There is no foolproof plan to stop a team with Towns, Jalen Brunson and a slew of productive role players, but the Knicks seem to struggle the most when teams put their biggest wings on Towns and let their centers roam off of Josh Hart, a capable but not reliable three-point shooter. Given how dominant the Brunson-Towns two-man game can be – and how good each of those players are individually – it is not the worst idea to funnel the ball into the hands of Hart, a tremendous winning player but not an offensive dynamo.

What does Nurse see as the pros of inverting the four and five matchups defensively?

"It allows you to switch a little more on the screen-and-rolls," Nurse said. "That's a big one. Allows you maybe to get back to the pick-and-pop game a little bit, or take it out. You can play maybe a couple more coverages with that."

And the cons?

"Can Towns pass over the four? Can he rebound over the four? Can he post up over the four? Can shoot over the four? Nurse said. "Can Hart become a perimeter crasher with the five trying to figure out where he is and all that kind of stuff?"

If Nurse tries defending straight-up – as he did for the bulk of the Sixers' second-round sweep at the hands of the Knicks a season ago, during which Embiid was shredded defensively – it would perhaps be somewhat of a vote of confidence in the former NBA MVP's condition and ability to move his feet on the perimeter.

But James has more than enough strength to contend with Towns in the post, and a much better chance than Embiid of switching onto Brunson. Even if Nurse has Embiid roam off of Hart and Knicks head coach Mike Brown counters by replacing Hart with a shooter like Deuce McBride or Landry Shamet, the Sixers will have successfully played an elite offensive rebounder and transition player off the floor.

MORE: Takeaways from Sixers training camp and preseason

Which bench pieces will actually be available?

As of this writing, the three players considered most important to the Sixers' bench this season – Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona – are all questionable for Tuesday's game. Simons and Bona missed all of preseason and Wade missed back-to-back practices after hurting his ankle in the team's final exhibition. Dominick Barlow, a starter 59 times last season, will miss at least two weeks to start the season with a back injury that is not improving.

Should Simons be unavailable, the plan to replace him is clear; rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. would come off the bench and provide some ball-handling behind Maxey and Edgecombe. Philon has stood out on both ends of the floor over the course of the last three weeks, and Nurse clearly has confidence in him on both ends of the floor. That could be a low-minute role if Nurse puts his foot on the gas early the way he did a season ago (more on that next).

If Bona is sidelined – in addition to Barlow and two-way center Tacko Fall (quad) – the Sixers will not have many choices at backup center. The obvious solution: Jabari Walker, the biggest winner of preseason. Walker registered four standard performances this month, doing so while almost exclusively sliding up to the five. If Wade is available he could play a spurt there, too, but the Sixers would be better off having Bona available as they go up against Towns and old friend Andre Drummond, a mentor of Bona's.

"Drum is my dude, so definitely love to see him on the floor out there," Bona said on Sunday. "It's going to be really good to go against him, challenge him a little bit. It’s going to be fun."

If Wade is unavailable, a lot of questions emerge. The Sixers will need to fill wing minutes, and while Brown can be pushed close to 40 minutes the same should not be said for the 41-year-old James. After a brutal preseason, does Nurse still have enough faith in Justin Edwards' defensive motor and quick decision-making to play? Could the Sixers lean on three-guard lineups in which Caldwell-Pope slides up to the three? Is there a pathway for two-way defensive specialist Rayan Rupert to get into the game?

"I guess," Nurse said on Monday, "we are going to have to wait and see a little bit."

MORE: Making predictions for the 2026-27 Sixers season

How much urgency can this game be treated with?

Caldwell-Pope is no stranger to a ring night, though his experiences have been on the other side. The two-time champion has seen a lot. In a playoff-like atmosphere with a playoff-like matchup and a playoff-like spotlight, it is a challenge to keep emotions in check.

"Just take it like every minute, every moment," Caldwell-Pope said. "You’ve got to just try to relax, stay comfortable, stay confident. For us, we’ve got to just be – we’re on the road, so we’ve got to be together, stay together. We're all we've got here. And you’ve got to come out and just be ready, stay focused."

As badly as the Sixers want to make a statement, this is one game out of 82. Nurse is always aggressive with his minutes totals, but he finds a different gear in playoff games. Will he treat Tuesday as one? This opener has been anticipated in isolation for so long, but it is just the start of the schedule. The Sixers will be right back to work hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday before playing their first back-to-back of the season over the weekend.

Maxey, Edgecombe and Brown are locks to log heavy minutes; Maxey led the NBA in minutes per game last season and Edgecombe was not far behind. The Sixers acquired Brown in part for his durability. But how far will Nurse push those three players? And, perhaps more interestingly, how will Embiid and James be handled with the grind of a long season in mind?

Pressure is mounting on Nurse, whose first three years in Philadelphia have underwhelmed – oftentimes due to circumstances out of his hands. He has more talent at his disposal than he could ever dream of now. He must make the most of it.

"Well, I'm excited to get another season going," Nurse said. "It's been super fun here these last few weeks with these guys. Get to play in a great arena against a great team. It's going to be enjoyable."

MORE: Previewing Sixers-Knicks: Which team will make opening statement?