The Cleveland Cavaliers broke a long-time jinx by winning the NBA title last season and LeBron James and co. will want to begin the defence of their crown in the best way possible – by defeating the New York Knicks in the opening game of the new season at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Cleveland came back from the dead to stun the Golden State Warriors in the finals last season and with it breaking a 52-year wait for a title for the city. James is already a legend for his performances in that series, but the great man will be keen to grow his legend just that little bit more by helping his team defend the title.
James, though, will be limited in his game time during the regular season, with coach Tyronn Lue revealing his superstar would be given as mush rest as possible as the 82 games roll on.
"We've talked about it," Lue said. "He understands that we want to keep his minutes down, and when there's games where it makes sense to take off, we're going to take those games off.
"We're being smart about the situation. We have one goal in mind, and that's winning a championship. So, accolades, personal accolades (winning the league MVP), they come later."
The Cavaliers will start as the clear favourites to win the Eastern Conference title again, and the New York Knicks, with Derrick Rose now helping out Carmelo Anthony, will be one of the teams hoping to challenge James's side.
A small idea of just how big a challenge it could be will be known in the first game of the season, with the Knicks hoping to show off their we-are-also-contenders status with a strong showing against the champions.
"I'm very excited," Rose said. "We got a lot of great pieces. We're learning how to play together. We're learning chemistry. But it comes from experience and it comes with playing with each other."
Where to Watch Live
Cavaliers vs NY Knicks is set to begin at 7.30pm ET (12.30am BST, 5am IST next day). Live Streaming and TV guide for the NBA opener is below.
India: TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
USA: TV: TNT. Live Streaming: TNT Overtime.
UK: TV: BT Sport. Live Streaming: Watch BT Sport.
Australia: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Canada: TV: TSN1 and TSN4. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
International: NBA Online.
