The 2015-16 NBA regular season is only a few days old and the league has thrown some huge matches already. Adding to it is the upcoming mega clash between Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday.
Some top NBA stars including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kevin Love are expected to make the contest worthwhile with their individual performances. The Cavaliers, who lost in the NBA finals last season, might have been disappointed after losing their season opener against the Chicago Bulls, but they came up with a brilliant game against Memphis Grizzlies to get their season started.
Cavaliers thrashed Grizzlies by 30 points as the score read 106-76. If the Cavs can come up with a similar performance against the Heats on Friday, Wade and co. are going to find it difficult against the home team.
The Cavs not only put up a great offensive game, but were amazing in their defensive act as well. James also stressed on the importance of having good defensive plays.
"It's who we need to be, it's who we are. It's what we stress every day," AP quoted James as saying.
"In order for us to be who we want to be long term, we've got to defend at a high level and we need to share the ball."
The Cavaliers are still missing two star players – Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert – who are only going to strengthen the team once they return. As of now, the Cavs are going to be depend on Kevin Love and James.
James has pinned his hopes on Love to deliver this season on the offensive side of things and if the player gets his shooting right in the season, the Cavs are going to be a successful unit.
"Kevin is going to be our main focus, he's going to have a hell of a season and he's going to get back to that All-Star status. He's the focal point of us offensively. I know I can go out and get mine when I need it, but I need Kevin to be as aggressive as he was (against Grizzlies)," said James.
Irrespective of how Cavs' players perform on the night, the Heats are solely going to concentrate on their game as they have started the season in the right spirit with a victory over Charlotte Hornets in their first game.
Bosh and Wade are going to be the key players for Heats this season, as a lot will depend on their fitness and performance over the course of the season. The duo will need to be on top of their game if they are to make it to the Playoffs, which they failed to qualify last season.
With 21 points against his name, Bosh was the standout performer for the Heats at American Airlines Arena against Hornets. However, the Heats might be worried over the performance of Wade, who did not start off well. It was only later during the game that Wade began to weave his magic.
The Heats will be asking for a consistent effort form their star player Wade, as he squares against his former team mate James on Friday. One can expect some quality performance from the duo, who will be eager to outdo one another and help their respective team emerge victorious.
Where to watch live
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat live NBA game is scheduled for 7pm local time (4:30am IST, 12am BST) start. Viewers in India can watch Los Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat live NBA game on Sony Six and Sony Six HD.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat live NBA game will be shown live in the UK on BT Sport 2 with live streaming on Watch BT Sport or with the BT Sport Online app.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Miami Heat live NBA game will be shown live in the US on ESPN.
International viewers, including India, can watch all the NBA live action by live streaming on NBA Online.
