​Apr 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reflects before the game against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Jimmy VikAs the regular season approaches, the Knicks will officially go from the hunters to the hunted. After a wild offseason, especially in the significantly strengthened Eastern Conference, the defending champions will face much tougher challenges this season. Teams in the East like the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers all made moves to strengthen their rosters with star acquisitions. The San Antonio Spurs will want their rematch, and the Oklahoma City Thunder will look to get back to the mountaintop. But three of the aforementioned teams stand out as the most intriguing matchups for the Knicks in the upcoming regular season.Top 3 Knicks Matchups in 2026-27Jun 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives with the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) during game four of the 2026 NBA Finals in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images3. San Antonio SpursNBA Finals rematches are always premier matchups in the regular season schedule. The Knicks will face their Finals opponent from last season on Christmas at Madison Square Garden and on March 7 in San Antonio. Victor Wembanyama is one of the MVP frontrunners and will have revenge from last season’s series on his mind. Mitchell Robinson played a crucial role in slowing Wembanyama down throughout the series, and with his departure to the Boston Celtics over the summer, it will be interesting to see how the Knicks adjust defensively with more Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond on him in those games.2. Toronto RaptorsOne of the top teams in the East in 2026-27 will come from north of the border. Toronto is the real deal, and they must be treated as such. After the trade for Kawhi Leonard finally went through, the Raptors became a clear-cut threat in the East.The pairing of Leonard and Scottie Barnes can potentially be a suffocating duo on the defensive side. It is imperative that the Knicks learn where weak spots in their defense land, whether those matchups call for more Jalen Brunson isolation ball, more scoring from OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, or if they can replicate their playoff strategy with Towns running the offense as its primary facilitator.The Knicks will play in Toronto on Nov. 15 and Nov. 17, and host the Raptors on Jan. 20 and Feb. 4.1. Philadelphia 76ersThis should come to absolutely no one’s surprise. Philadelphia has been the talk of the offseason. After finishing as the seventh seed in last season’s Eastern Conference and upsetting Boston in the first round, the Sixers got swept by the Knicks in dominant fashion. This led to sweeping changes to Philadelphia’s roster. They acquired Jaylen Brown from the Celtics for a shockingly low price, and signed LeBron