What began as an exciting opening night matchup filled with compelling storylines quickly became the site of one of the worst basketball injuries in recent memory.
An opening night with a celebratory air to it quickly turned sour when Boston’s Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome leg injury that completely sucked the air out of Quicken Loans Arena. A back-cut alley-oop turned broken leg appears to have ended Hayward’s season before it even got rolling, likely dashing any title hopes the Celtics had this season.
While both teams looked rattled following Hayward’s departure, it was the Celtics’ play that suffered early on. Former Cavalier Kyrie Irving was aggressive in the opening minutes of the contest, shaking off a heavy dose of boos from the Cleveland crowd and hitting the first shot of the game, but the Boston newcomer appeared to lose some energy following the Hayward injury.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s offense took off and the Cavs jumped out to a 29-19 lead after one quarter. The Cavs continued to look like the superior team in the second, as Boston’s second unit struggled to move the ball on offense, and Cleveland went into the half with a 16-point lead.
Boston showed grit in the third quarter, an unwillingness to let the emotion of the night devastate them completely, and took the lead in the final minute in the period before a Derrick Rose buzzer-beater wrestled back the lead for Cleveland. Still, a 33-18 third quarter saw Boston just one point behind heading into the fourth. Celtics guard Marcus Smart was an integral part of the comeback effort, scoring 12 points in the period.
Play got physical in the fourth quarter, with Smart showing his patented toughness on both ends of the floor. James hit the defensive glass hard but found considerable resistance from the Boston defense on the other end. Kyrie Irving found his shot from distance as the contest seesawed back and forth.
James took back the lead for the Cavaliers around the 1:20 mark with a nice up-and-under move in the paint, and momentum appeared to be back on Cleveland’s side for the first time since the early minutes of the third quarter. LeBron cemented the win on the following Cavs possession with a nifty pass out of a double team that resulted in a Kevin Love 3-ball.
Takeaways
LeBron James looks healthy. There was uncertainty surrounding James’ availability for the opener throughout much of the day, as the four-time MVP was reportedly dealing with the lingering effects of a sprained ankle that kept him out for most of the preseason, but LeBron looked like his dominant self against the Celtics.
An early “welcome to the NBA” block on Boston rookie Jayson Tatum drew a major reaction from the home crowd, and James finished the first half with 14 points (6-8 shooting), 7 rebounds and 6 assists. James was a force down the stretch and ended the night with a dazzling line of 29-16-9. Breaking news: The King is still The King.
Cleveland’s path to the NBA Finals just got a lot easier. Cleveland was always in the thick of the conversation for the team destined to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, but they weren’t the foregone conclusion that they had been the last three seasons. That may have changed with Boston’s loss of Hayward, as Cleveland is set to get Isaiah Thomas back sometime this winter and now looks like the clear favorite to win the conference title. It also doesn’t hurt that Cleveland’s offense looked a little smoother than expected on opening night, even without the player expected to be their second option on that end of the court.
The Celtics will have to lean on their youngsters more than expected this season. In the wake of Hayward’s injury, which is almost certainly season-ending, Boston will need Tatum and Jaylen Brown to be even better than advertised going forward. Brown (20) and Tatum (19) had already earned spots in the opening night starting lineup, but additional offensive responsibility will surely be thrust upon each of them without Hayward in the rotation.
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Tatum looked a bit wide-eyed early on but settled down in the second half of his first carer game, finishing with 14 points on the night. His advanced offensive game will be especially important for Boston without Hayward.
Brown’s elite athleticism was on full display, and the second-year forward dropped a team-high 25 points in the content. The famed Brooklyn Nets draft picks from the last two years just became even more important to this Boston squad.