After a long, tumultuous offseason since the Golden State Warriors won their second NBA title in three years, the NBA returned to action Tuesday night, with the Cleveland Cavaliers facing off against the Boston Celtics, followed by the Golden State Warriors hosting the Houston Rockets. The start of the NBA season was highly anticipated, due to the various controversies and high-profile roster moves made during the offseason. Let’s recap the biggest moves of the offseason:
The first massive offseason domino to fall was Jimmy Butler’s surprising trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was well-known at this point that the Cleveland Cavaliers, aiming to acquire more firepower to be able to compete with the Golden State Warriors, were pushing to trade for Butler, as were the Boston Celtics. However, Chicago agreed to trade Butler to the Timberwolves, creating a team nucleus of youth and experience with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns already in Minnesota.
The next big move to take place was the trade of Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, uniting him with James Harden, another superstar. The move would help Paul escape a demoralized Los Angeles Clippers team that was never able to live up to its true potential, and paired him with a Rockets team that had the potential to compete with the Warriors juggernaut. Although questions about ball dominance and handling between Harden and Paul remained, the move was seen was a positive for both parties involved.
Perhaps the biggest trade of the offseason occurred next: Indiana Pacers guard Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the fact that George was traded wasn’t surprising in itself (George had made his intent to leave Indiana at the first opportunity clear), the fact that he was traded to the Thunder while the Celtics and Cavaliers were both actively trying to trade for him shocked many.
Boston then continued its efforts to strengthen its team with the signing of free agent Gordon Hayward, formerly of the Utah Jazz. Boston’s desire to be able to compete with the Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference sparked the intense efforts to sign Hayward, spearheaded by Boston’s coach Brad Stevens who was Hayward’s coach in college. Ultimately, Boston was able to sign Hayward as expected.
The next massive move that took place was Kyrie Irving’s trade to the Boston Celtics from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving’s decision to ask for a trade surprised many, as he had the opportunity to compete for an NBA Championship every year playing alongside LeBron James. However, Irving’s desire to be the main star on his team led to his request for a trade, which was met by Boston, sending Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland, among others. The move massively changed the landscape of the Eastern Conference.
Finally, the basketball world was shocked to learn that Carmelo Anthony had been traded to the Thunder, instead of any other suitors. Anthony’s trade wasn’t a surprise, as it was known that he was displeased with years of his prime being wasted by the dysfunctional Knicks franchise. Anthony’s pairing with Paul George and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City has created yet another team capable of competing with the Golden State Warriors.
Having covered the biggest roster moves, let’s move to what took place on opening night. The first game of the evening pitted the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Boston Celtics: a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals but with many players on the opposite team, creating an intriguing storyline for the game. Unfortunately, the promise of a game to determine Easter Conference superiority between the two new-look teams was removed after Hayward suffered a horrific ankle injury in the first quarter, essentially ending his season. The Celtics were able to keep the score close throughout the game, but its outcome was never in doubt as the Cavaliers coasted to a sloppy victory.
The later game consisted of the Warriors taking on one of their biggest challengers in the Western conference: the Houston Rockets. Before the game, the Warriors held their ring ceremony in which they received rings commemorating their previous year’s NBA Championship. Although the game looked decisively in the Warriors’ favor early on, Houston was able to claw their way back into the game, aided by Warriors star Draymond Green’s injury in the third quarter. The Rockets managed to eke out a one-point victory as Kevin Durant’s buzzer-beating shot was unable to beat the clock.
Opening night’s highs and lows make for an exciting and dramatic NBA Season to come.
Camden Glenn • Oct 26, 2017 at 8:28 am
Sounds like you know a lot about the NBA. You used a plethora of detail and this is a very well written and good story.