After the award ceremony ended, the players from both sides immediately began warming up.
Once the warm-ups were over, the starting players from both teams took off their jackets and walked onto the court.
Taking the opportunity, commentator Mike Gorman introduced the starting lineups to the fans in the arena and watching on television.
Boston Celtics starting lineup: Tony Allen, Gordon Hayward, Goodwin, Marc Gasol, Yao Ming.
Coach Jack had originally planned to have second-year Tim Hardaway Jr. replace Jimmy Butler, but Tim Hardaway Jr.'s defense was inferior to Jimmy Butler's, and even his offense was just average. His three-point percentage in the preseason had been only 31%.
With that kind of performance, Coach Jack had no intention of putting him in the starting lineup.
So he inserted the 201-centimeter Gordon Hayward into the starting lineup.
Although Gordon Hayward's defense might not have matched Jimmy Butler's, his offense was definitely stronger, making him a suitable replacement for Jimmy Butler's departure.
At the same time, Coach Jack moved Paul Pierce, who was accustomed to playing shooting guard, back to small forward to serve as the team's backup small forward.
Cleveland Cavaliers starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Anderson Varejao.
"Beep beep." With the whistle, the season-opening game between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers officially began.
Slap!
Without any surprise, Yao Ming got to the ball first and tipped it back into his own backcourt. The Boston Celtics successfully gained the first possession of the game.
Tony Allen calmly dribbled the ball across half court.
The moment he entered the opposing half, the interior beast that had been waiting—Yao Ming—charged out like a moving Great Wall. He quickly set his feet in front of Tony Allen and used his massive, solid body to completely block Kyrie Irving,