NBA – The Cleveland Cavaliers host the first game of the 2017 -2018 NBA Season against the visiting East rival and last season top seeded team in the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics at Quickens Loans Arena in Cleveland.
The much anticipated game features Cavs new starting five with the likes of new faces Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Jay Crowder while Kevin Love and LeBron James are the two remaining players from last season, starting five and of course the return of former Cavs superstar Kyrie Irving facing his former team in his very first game as a Celtics player to face his former teammates LeBron James to form a new rivalry between the Cavaliers and the Celtics.
Cavs superstar LeBron James, who suffered a sprained left ankle during the training camp and aggravated his injury after playing one game in the preseason will be playing the game after several rumors of might missing his first game opener of his entire NBA career.
In the game as expected Cavs fans booed Kyrie Irving every time he holds the ball, but the mood of the game suddenly changes after a gruesome injury happen to Celtics Gordon Hayward at 6:45 remaining of the 1st quarter. The game is temporarily stop in order to assist Hayward conditions of the medical staff.
Back at the game, Cavs ended the 1st quarter leading by 10 points 29 – 19. While the 2nd quarter was a complete domination by the Cavaliers maintaining a double digit lead to end the first half leading by 16 pts. 54 – 38. James leads the Cavaliers in scoring with game high 14 pts. 7 rebounds and 6 assists. While Kyrie Irving scored 9 points in the 1st half in his Celtics debut.
In the 3rd quarter, the Celtics made a comeback erasing Cavs 16 point lead and even take the lead 71 – 69 with 4 seconds remaining, but Derrick Rose made a buzzer beater 3 point shot to regain the Cavaliers lead 72 – 71. The Celtics outscored the Cavaliers 33 – 18 in the 3rd.
In the 4th quarter, both teams exchanging leads, but it was the Celtics, who dominated the final quarter where they lead for almost the entire quarter not until the last minute of the game when the home team regain the lead after a clutch basket by LeBron James and clutch 3’s from Kevin Love that sealed the game away from Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics to end the game 102 – 99 Cavs win.
Cavs dominated the Celtics for most of the game despite no Gordon Hayward in the game due to injury, but the Celtics did not loss hopes to give a tough fight for the home team but fell short. Kyrie Irving scores 22 pts. and 10 reb. in his Celtics debut while LeBron James finished the game with a game high 29 pts. 16 reb. and 9 assists. James is one assist shy of a triple double.
