NBA basketball officially returned on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, as Isaiah Hartenstein and the Thunder received their 2025 championship rings and raised their banner to the rafters before tipping off against Kevin Durant and the Rockets. Before the game even began, Josh Hart of the New York Knicks had something to say (are you surprised?) about the start time.
The game was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m. ET, but if you've ever watched an NBA game before, even just one, you knew that the game would begin closer to 7:45 p.m. Hart, who was waiting for the action to start just like the rest of us, shared his thoughts about the late start time, which for the NBA, was more like on-time.
It’s 7:42pm and the 7:30pm game hasn’t started yet. The NBA is so back 🙌🏽
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) October 21, 2025
The NBA returning to NBC has already elevated the viewing experience, but fans can't get away from those pesky late starts.
Josh Hart's tweet resonates with every NBA fan
The real fun doesn't begin until the games tip off on the West Coast. Staying up late for a 10 p.m. ET (or worse, 10:30 p.m. ET) tip is tough enough, but the delay, ranging from 10 to 15 minutes, feels like an hour.
Who's ready for those 19 games on NBC that are slated to tip at 11 p.m. ET, but will actually start at 11:15 p.m. ET, if we're lucky? Those games are part of NBC's "Coast 2 Coast Tuesday." To think that there are fans on the West Coast who have complained about games beginning at 8 p.m. PT. They don't know how good they have it!
As frustrating as it is for East Coast fans, it must also be a little annoying for the players, too, especially when they have to hop on a plane and travel to a different city immediately after the game for the second half of a back-to-back.
It's understandable for some games to start a few minutes late, but for the NBA, it's an every-night occurrence. It's gotten to the point where it is strange when a game actually starts on time.
As great as the NBA is, there is a lot that needs fixing, from start times to not making fans get subscriptions to five different streaming services just to watch games. At least if you're scrambling before a game trying to figure out how to watch, you know you have some extra time to get it handled.
On that note, the Knicks will open their season tomorrow (Thursday) against the Cavaliers on ESPN. It's supposed to start at 7 p.m. ET, but it'll be more like 7:15 p.m. ET. Josh, who the Knicks ruled out already, will be waiting on the sideline for the game to start, just like the rest of us at home.