NBA Opening Night Schedule 2016: TV Coverage, Live Stream and Predictions
On June 19, the Cleveland Cavaliers brought their city its first major sports title in 52 years, and on Tuesday night, when a chaotic and drama-filled offseason finally ends, the Cavs will raise the franchise's first NBA championship banner ahead of their game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena.
Later Tuesday night, two Western Conference upstarts—the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers—will square off in Portland, and the league's revamped villains, the Golden State Warriors, will battle the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena.
The beginning of a new season typically brings with it boundless aspirations due to untainted 0-0 records across the board. This year, though, the consensus seems to be that June's NBA Finals is preordained—that we will see the third installment of the Warriors vs. Cavaliers, this time with Kevin Durant swathed in blue and gold.
In terms of Tuesday night's action, there are two ways to judge that perspective. First, nothing is certain. Teams overachieve, underachieve and get injured. In other words, there's a reason they play the games.
Second, if you're hearing none of that and believe no other team has a shot, Tuesday will provide a first look at the defending champion Cavaliers and the stacked Warriors. Remember, the 2010 Miami Heat lost their first game with the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and the Spurs would like nothing more than to inject some doubt into the Dubs' heads.
Here's where you can get access to all three games on opening night:
| 7:30 p.m. | New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers | TNT | NBA League Pass |
| 10 p.m. | Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers | Local Broadcasts | NBA League Pass |
| 10:30 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors | TNT | NBA League Pass |
Predictions
New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Downtown Cleveland will be in a state of pandemonium when the Cavaliers begin their title defense just 30 minutes before the Indians take the field for Game 1 of the World Series across the street.
Before we assume the Cavaliers will run the Knicks out of the building, there's something to remember. Two seasons ago, when James returned to Cleveland from Miami and Kevin Love had just arrived in town, the Cavs opened their season at home on an emotional night in late October. Their opponent was the Knicks, who would go on to win just 17 games that season. However, New York stole that game, shocking the crowd that had come for a celebration rather than a real competition.
Can the Knicks play spoilers once again? They will trot out their fortified starting lineup against Cleveland, which has played limited minutes together due to Derrick Rose's sexual assault trial (he was found not liable) and Joakim Noah's bouts with injury during the preseason.
Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and the newly acquired Courtney Lee will join Rose and Noah in New York's starting lineup as the Knicks try to keep King James' squad at bay. While New York's roster appears more exciting entering this season, many are wary of the injury-prone pieces, particularly Rose and Noah, and the lack of bench depth.
As for Cleveland, the team returned all of its championship core, re-signing James and J.R. Smith. Last season, the Cavaliers played to a 33-8 home record, so beating them at their own place is no easy task.
Despite what happened in the Cavs' opener in 2014, don't expect Cleveland to let New York crash its party again this year. Kyrie Irving, James and Love will come out ready to go in front of their fans, and the Cavaliers should be able to handle the Knicks with relative ease as New York works through its new roster's growing pains.
Prediction: Cavaliers 104, Knicks 90
Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers
Blazers star Damian Lillard wasn't shy when asked about his lofty aspirations for this season. However, the journey toward earning the MVP trophy starts Tuesday night for Lillard, as he and the Trail Blazers host Utah.
Portland was one of last year's most surprisingly impressive teams. Before the 2015-16 season, the team lost four of its five starters, which caused many to choose the Blazers to plummet to the bottom of the Western Conference. Instead, general manager Neil Olshey salvaged what he could of his roster, and the team saw tremendous growth from some of its young players.
After securing the fifth seed, Portland downed an injury-ridden Los Angeles Clippers team in the first round before succumbing to Golden State in a hard-fought conference semifinal series. The Trail Blazers are fueled by their dynamic backcourt duo of Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who inked a $106 million extension this summer.
If they want to start this season with a victory, the Trail Blazers will have to contend with a Utah squad that is also making moves to join the upper echelon of the Western Conference. In the offseason, the Jazz added veterans George Hill, Boris Diaw and Joe Johnson to their core of promising young players that won 40 games a year ago.
Now Utah carries expectations that it previously didn't garner, and it is up to those new guys to aid Gordon Hayward and his troop of neophytes in adopting winnings ways, especially on opening night.
I expect the Jazz to have an impressive season, but in Game 1 on the road, I'm not sure they're quite ready to knock off Lillard and the Blazers.
Prediction: Trail Blazers 112, Jazz 109
San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors
This is it—this game against San Antonio will be the world's first look (minus the preseason) at the Warriors' new makeup, featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Durant and Draymond Green. For those of you who are keeping score at home, that includes the last three league MVPs (Curry twice and Durant), and all four of those guys played for the 2016 Western Conference All-Stars.
Before acquiring Durant (and losing Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes), Golden State won 73 games in the regular season. Think about every Warriors possession in the 2016 playoffs that ended with Barnes taking a wide-open three, only for it to clank off the rim. Now imagine Barnes is about to shoot those threes with an abyss between him and the closest defender, only now it's Durant pulling the trigger.
The composition of the Warriors roster should strike fear in opponents, but the Spurs will provide a serious test to Golden State.
The Spurs' offseason was headlined by the retirement of Tim Duncan, but while they lost a future Hall of Famer, they likely picked up another—Pau Gasol. He will patrol the inside along with LaMarcus Aldridge, but Kawhi Leonard will have to shoulder the bulk of the offensive and defensive load against Golden State.
The 2014 Finals MVP will likely get the assignment of shutting down Durant, but with as many weapons as the Warriors have, Leonard's defensive responsibilities will extend far beyond the Oklahoma City transplant.
Despite Leonard's octopus-like defensive prowess, the Warriors are going to put on a show at home with their new star-studded team. Golden State is still fuming after blowing a 3-1 series lead to Cleveland in last year's Finals, and Curry and Co. will likely take out their anger in front of a raucous crowd.
It's nearly impossible to fathom how a team could stop the Dubs' core four from pouring in buckets on end, and the Spurs won't figure it out in this first meeting.
Prediction: Warriors 108, Spurs 99
