The moment every NBA fan has been waiting for finally came on Tuesday night. The 2017-18 NBA season officially started as the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Boston Celtics in a season opener. It was a highly anticipated matchup between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, especially considering everything that happened this past summer.
As it is well known, the Cavaliers traded their All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics and received Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Ante Zizic in return from Boston. It was a matchup between a couple of former teammates, and it also turned out to be a game that did not disappoint the fans.
Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland was fully packed with more than 20,000 hyped fans in the stands.
Cavaliers hold off Celtics in a thriller
The Cavs started off the game strong on Tuesday night. They opened up the game with a great first quarter, leading 29-19 after the first period. Early in the first quarter Gordon Hayward from the Celtics suffered a horrible leg injury as he failed to catch a lob pass and fell on his leg awkwardly. Hayward was carried off the court with a broken leg, and it seems his season might've ended on Tuesday night. Boston seemed overwhelmed with the atmosphere in the Arena, and they found themselves down 16 points (44-28) midway through the second quarter. The Cavaliers led 54-38 at halftime.
The Celtics answered with a great third quarter of their own as they even regained the lead at 71-69 late in the period. Cleveland was still in front 72-71 heading into the fourth quarter. Teams went back and forth in the final period, scoring at will almost. The Celtics had a 92-88 lead with a couple of minutes left in the game, but they just couldn't hold on to the end.
The Cavaliers closed out the game with a 7-1 run and celebrated a narrow, 102-99 victory.
LeBron with a near triple-double
Five players finished in double-digit scoring for the Cavs on Tuesday night, with LeBron James leading the way with 29 points. James ended the game one assist away from a triple-double, as he finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Kevin Love contributed for Cleveland with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while J.R. Smith added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in scoring in this one with 25 points, and he also added six rebounds. Kyrie Irving also played a great game for Boston as he finished with 22 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds. Jayson Tatum added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics.
Boston plays again on Wednesday night as they host the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Cavaliers' next game is on Friday night, also against the Bucks.
