The Knicks' preseason schedule has been released

The Knicks will play for the first time in 275 days on Dec. 11 in their preseason opener against the Pistons in Detroit. Needless to say, New York should be well rested.

That’s right, it’s time to either thank your lucky stars or curse your unlucky stars, because the emptiness you’ve been feeling due to a lack of Knicks basketball for the last eight and a half months is about to be filled.

The Knicks will play four preseason games this year, starting Friday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 against the Pistons in Detroit.

Following that first contest, as part of a plan to try and lessen the possibility of covid-19 outbreaks that cause games to be cancelled and such, the Knicks will face off against the Pistons again two days later, also in Detroit. Three days after that, on Wednesday, Dec. 16, the Knicks will tip-off against the Cleveland Cavs at MSG. There will be no fans. That Friday, Dec. 18, the Knicks will finish their preseason against the Cavs at MSG. Hopefully they’ll be 4-0.

These games are exciting. Here are some of the reasons why, along with some questions that will hopefully be answered: Obi Toppin and Emmanuel Quickley will make their debuts; we’ll see new Knicks like Austin Rivers, Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks and Omari Spellman for the first time; it’ll be our initial glimpse at the team as presented by Tom Thibodeau; we’ll get to see if all the work Dennis Smith Jr. has been putting in with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is leading to an improved jumper; will Frank Ntilikina straight up take the damn wheel already?; how many times will Mitchell Robinson posterize Blake Griffin and Kevin Love?; will there be live bets available for how many future second round picks and rights to international players the Knicks are going to trade for during their preseason games?

The actual season is expected to start the week of Dec. 22, and according to ESPN the schedule should be out soon, although, like everything else this year, it’s going to be weird.

The schedule will be released in two halves — what the league is calling the First Half and the Second Half. The schedule for the First Half of the season, which will run from Dec. 22 to March 4, will be released around the start of training camp, set for Dec. 1.

The league won’t release the schedule for the Second Half until later in the First Half. That will include the rest of each team’s 72 regular-season games that weren’t previously scheduled, as well as any games that were postponed in the First Half of the season that “can reasonably be added” to the rest of the schedule.