Oct. 17, 2017, was the birth of a new NBA season. New teams, players, rivalries, and gameplay styles were formed during the summer.
Carmelo Anthony was traded from the New York Knicks to Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as Paul George of the Indiana Pacers. Fans also saw a more grown up and mature Kyrie Irving leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to go to the Boston Celtics with Gordon Hayward from the Utah Jazz.
Then, in return, Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder came from Boston to Cleveland. Two of Chicago’s hometown favorites, Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose also ended up signing with Cleveland in the off-season.
The first game of the NBA season was the Cavaliers vs. Celtics. The teams faced off in one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, due to all of the trades and off-season controversy that happened in the media. LeBron James and Irving were looked at to carry each of their teams to a win. Cleveland dominated Boston throughout the first quarter of the game, due to the tragic injury of Hayward, six minutes into the game.
Hayward came down on his ankle after trying to catch a high pass thrown to him. As many could hear and see, his ankle snapped in half and many assumed that it would be months before he will be able to return healthy. Many current and former NBA players, fans, and NBA affiliates turned to Twitter to express empathy and prayer for Hayward. Medical staff reported, that Hayward has a clean fracture in his left ankle and will require surgery.
Fellow Boston Celtics teammates, Irving, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and others, were surprised and distraught at the injury of their teammate and decided to huddle up in prayer for Hayward. Players of the Cavaliers proceeded to do the same.
Despite the loss of one of their players, Boston continued to put up a fight as they came back from a 16 point deficit from the 2nd quarter, and took the lead, 69-71. Surprisingly the lead was taken back, 72-71, by Cleveland, from a three-point shot by Rose at the buzzer.
He has been showing flashes of his MVP skills. Many are hoping that this is the first game of many where his talents are evident.
Boston continued to put up a fight for the rest of the 4th quarter, until James, Rose and Kevin Love help carry their team to a 3-point lead, 102-99, late in the 3rd quarter. Irving was defended by James, as he tried to tie the game with a three at the buzzer. However, the shot was just a little too short, and Boston took their first loss of the season despite the late comeback attempt.
Irving (22 pts), Brown (25 pts) and Tatum (14 pts) led the Celtics in points during the game, James (29 pts), Love (15 pts) and Rose (14 pts), led the Cavs in points. James capped off the NBA starter with a near triple-double, adding 16 rebounds and nine assists, along with 29 points.
Written by Parris Winfrey
Edited by Cathy Milne
Sources:
Yahoo Sports: What Does Boston Do Without Gordon Hayward? Five Things to Watch
Sports Illustrated: 10 Thoughts on NBA Opening Night Media Coverage
Sporting News: Celtics vs. Cavs: Score, results, highlights from Cleveland’s close win
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Erik Drost’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License