CLEVELAND– The Cavaliers will take on the Boston Celtics tonight at Quicken Loans Arena to tip off the 2017-18 NBA season. There are plenty of storylines to follow (more on that in a minute), but here is all the information on where and when to watch the game.
When: 8:00 p.m.
TV: TNT
Online: Watch TNT
Radio: WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM, La Mega 87.7 FM.
Cavs injuries: Isaiah Thomas (right hip injury–OUT), LeBron James (left ankle– GAME-TIME DECISION)
Celtics injuries: Marcus Morris (right knee– OUT), Aron Baynes (left knee– PROBABLE)
STORYLINES:
1. Will LeBron James play?: Ah yes, the most popular question leading up to this game. LeBron James sprained his ankle during the first week of training camp and the injury has continued to nag him. He made one preseason appearance last week against the Chicago Bulls and re-aggravated the injury on a spin move to the basket. On Monday, head coach Tyronn Lue said he was preparing as if James was playing, but that they wouldn’t know until Tuesday. J.R. Smith said that James was “gonna go” because of his love for the game.
On Tuesday at shootaround, it was announced that James would be a game-time decision, (Not surprising. The Cavs usually hold off on lineup questions until just before game) but Dwyane Wade joined Smith in saying he fully expects James to play. My prediction: James will be good to go. In his 14-year career he has never missed a season-opener. And according to Smith, that goes back even further to the first time James picked up a basketball.
2. The prodigal son returns: Unless you completely checked out from all news about this Cavs team, (which I don’t even know how you could have done unless you went into a bunker without WiFi in June and decided to reemerge today) you know how much drama has surrounded this game ever since the news of Kyrie Irving’s trade request and subsequent move to Boston. There’s plenty of intrigue here, including what kind of reception Irving will get in pregame introductions and when the Cavs play the tribute video package they have put together for him.
Yes, Irving could be met with a lot of boos throughout the entire video, but the more likely option here is that he gets a mixture of boos and nostalgic cheers. Yes, some of his recent comments about James and the city may not sit well with fans, but he is still the guy who hit the biggest shot in Cavaliers’ history in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
3. Anytime James and Irving are matched up together: Prepare yourselves now. It’s going to happen on both ends of the floor. There will undoubtedly be times (especially when Derrick Rose rather than Smith is on Irving) that James will be forced to switch onto the player he was getting ready to hand the reins of the franchise to.
Irving will likely look to blow past James in these situations and get to the basket. And for the record, don’t be surprised if he dribbles the ball so hard that he puts a hole in the floor. But then again, Irving has said he was excited about joining Boston where he could act as more of a facilitator on offense, so he could also wrack up double-digit assists just to prove how unselfish he is now that he’s in a new environment.
If Irving gets switched onto James, it’s a different story. James will use one of his six fouls tonight on a hard drive to the lane trying to posterize Irving and will get called for a charge in the process. There will be at least one occasion where James succeeds in posterizing him, though, and the crowd reaction will be so intense it will feel as if the roof could be lifted off The Q. Irving may no longer want to play with James, but now it’s his turn to find out what it’s like to be his enemy.
OFFICIAL PREDICTION: As long as James plays, the Cavs win in a high-scoring affair, 116-102.
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