The Cleveland Cavaliers will play their first preseason game against the new look Orlando Magic tonight. The Cavs are coming off their first NBA Championship and will look to keep the momentum going against a young Magic team still looking for chemistry.
You would think for a team coming off back-to-back Finals that chemistry is not an issue but somehow it still is for the Cavs. The Cavs lost their two backup PGs from last season in Matthew Dellavedova and Mo Williams. They have not resigned free agent SG, J.R. Smith, much to the dislike of James and there have been whispers all offseason about a possible Kevin Love trade.
But they still have Love, James and big shot maker and taker, Kyrie Irving. The Magic are still searching for their leaders. During the offseason they shipped Victor Oladipo off to OKC for Serge Ibaka and brought in Bismack Biyombo. The Magic will boast one of the best frontcourts in the NBA this season but the issue will be in the backcourt.
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Will Elfrid Payton finally be able to put the pieces together for a full season? Who will pick up the scoring and leadership that was vacated with Oladipo’s departure? As of now, that will fall into the lap of scoring-machine, Evan Fournier. If the Magic can get each of these young players to trust in each other and the system they could make some noise in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs have no such problem. They fully understand who and where they are. They are the champs and will enter every game with a bullseye on their back. But two years together will give them the necessary experience to stay focused on the goal at hand. The Cavs will be looking to make it three straight Finals and back-to-back champs.
Here is where you can watch the game live Wednesday night.
Date: Wednesday, October 5
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)
TV Channel: NBA TV
Live Stream: Stream 1