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diesa_jC's Visit Cavs in Primetime
Opening Night is all about two things: new beginnings and star power. The NBA will get plenty of both tonight, that's for sure. Two teams primed to challenge for the 2010 Larry O'Brien Trophy will tip off the season in primetime, as the Boston Celtics will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on TNT.
It's the second time in as many years that these two teams will open the NBA season on national television and it's no secret why that's the case. Last year, the Celtics opened at home and raised their 17th NBA Championship banner while a hungry LeBron James looked on from the sideline. This time around, both teams have reloaded their rosters and are looking to rebound from the disappointing endings to their 2008-09 campaigns.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Quicken Loans Arena, 7:30 p.m.
TV: CSN New England/TNT
RADIO: WEEI 850 AM
Opening Night is all about two things: new beginnings and star power. The NBA will get plenty of both tonight, that's for sure. Two teams primed to challenge for the 2010 Larry O'Brien Trophy will tip off the season in primetime, as the Boston Celtics will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on TNT.
It's the second time in as many years that these two teams will open the NBA season on national television and it's no secret why that's the case. Last year, the Celtics opened at home and raised their 17th NBA Championship banner while a hungry LeBron James looked on from the sideline. This time around, both teams have reloaded their rosters and are looking to rebound from the disappointing endings to their 2008-09 campaigns.
You could argue that these two teams would combine to send one of the greatest starting fives of all time onto the court. Imagine LeBron James running point-forward, Ray Allen flanking off of him behind the 3-point line, Paul Pierce making his signature moves from the elbow, Kevin Garnett dominating the defensive end and drilling jumpers while Shaquille O'Neal dominates the glass and paint. Now that's star power.
But that's all in a fantasy world. The reality is that three of these players will don green and white, and two will be wearing gold and wine. For the Celtics, the Big Three will have a fresh start at bringing home a second championship together, something they feel slipped through their fingers last season. The Cavaliers will send James and O'Neal onto the court for the first time in the regular season with similar aspirations. Tonight will be both teams' first step toward that goal.
Team Chemistry
With so many new additions, both teams are still developing their team chemistry. Boston added two top-of-the-rotation players to their roster in Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, while the Cavs added Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon.
For both teams, those players will take up a solid chunk of playing time on a nightly basis. Learning each other's tendencies, strengths and weaknesses doesn't happen overnight. That's what the preseason is for; ironing out those wrinkles within the team.
The Celtics basically steam-pressed those wrinkles through their eight preseason games. They finished with a 6-2 record, got high-quality production from nearly everyone on the roster and saw their offseason acquisitions blend in with the team like they had been in Boston for years.
Things weren't so great for Cleveland this preseason. With Delonte West, the team's starting shooting guard from last season, battling ongoing personal issues, Parker was ushered into the starting lineup for the entire preseason, in turn shortening their bench. What he provides as a starter is great, but that means the team loses his production off the bench. The Cavs also experienced intermittent play by many of their key players; James played in six games, O'Neal played in seven, Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao both played in only five. That's not a recipe for team chemistry, and it showed in their 96-82 loss to the Celtics Wednesday night, a game in which all of their starters played significant minutes while Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett both sat out for Boston.
That game clearly displayed the gap in team chemistry between the C's and the Cavs. For Cleveland to win on their home court tonight, a court on which they won 39 of 41 games last season, they're going to need to close that gap significantly.
Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James
This is the obvious matchup that stands out when these two teams meet. Great players love great competition, and these two thrive when they play against each other.
On February 15, 2006, Pierce dropped 50 points to James' 43 and the Cavaliers came out on top. Then, in Game 7 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, they put on one of the most memorable performances this league had seen in a long, long time. Pierce (41 points) and James (45 points) went at each other from start to finish and dominated the entire game. Even Garnett admired the performance, especially by Pierce, and said the following after the Celtics' clinching win: "It was get Paul Pierce the ball and get the hell out of the way."
We may not know if these two will go off for another 40-plus night, but it's safe to say that in the spotlight of Opening Night, they're going to come out on a mission to put another chapter in this rivalry book.
Strong Defense
It's both of these teams' M.O. and the core of their success. Boston ranked first in the NBA last season with an opponent field goal percentage of 43.05 percent, a virtual tie with second-place Cleveland, which held opponents to 43.06 percent shooting. They also both ranked in the top three in PPG allowed.
Simply put, these two teams win games because of their defensive intensity and execution. The Celtics will be able to get back to their regular season defensive groove with Garnett, the 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year, back in the starting lineup.
Cleveland is in position for another great defensive season as well with added length and athleticism on the perimeter in the form of Parker and Moon and extra size in the paint with O'Neal.
Neither team is going to score easily, that's for sure. It'd be surprising if either team breaks the century mark tonight, so both will need to capitalize on easy buckets when they can get them.
