CLEVELAND CAVALIERS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANS Saturday, Oct. 28 (6 p.m.)
Why it’s on the list
No matter what team LeBron James plays for, it’s a guaranteed sellout in the
Smoothie King Center, with the future Hall of Famer ensuring a packed house as
one of the NBA’s premier attractions. The Cavaliers will have a bit of a new
look this season as they try to capture a fourth consecutive Eastern Conference
championship, but Cleveland also returns several familiar faces. Included among
the Cavs players who’ve been part of the franchise’s entire recent run of
excellence are Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith. Love and Thompson
will have their hands full in the frontcourt while facing the Pelicans’ All-Star
big-man duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins; it will be Cousins’ first
game vs. Cleveland in a New Orleans uniform.
Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
Crescent City basketball fans won’t have to wait long to see two of the NBA’s
most star-studded teams play, with the Pelicans hosting Golden State (Oct. 20)
and Cleveland in their first two home games. The pair of challenging home tilts
are part of a rough early-season stretch for New Orleans, which plays eight of
its first 12 games overall away from Louisiana. Preparation for the Cleveland
game Oct. 28 will be a bit condensed, because the Pelicans will play Oct. 26 at
Sacramento in a late TNT game, then land at the local Kenner airport in the wee
hours of the morning Oct. 27.
What’s new in Cleveland
After weeks of rumors and discussion, last week the Cavaliers agreed to a trade
with Boston that sent All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics, in
exchange for All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, rookie
center Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round pick (via Brooklyn). Although ESPN’s
Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the trade isn’t officially finalized due to
concerns over Thomas’ hip injury, if the deal remains as is, Cleveland has
improved its depth and versatility. Thomas is a relatively comparable player to
Irving in terms of overall scoring ability – he finished third in the NBA at
28.9 points per game, while Irving was 11th – and Crowder is a valuable defender
and three-point shooter (39.8 percent in 2016-17). Unless Brooklyn improves
greatly upon its 21-61 and 20-62 records over the past two seasons, Cleveland
will also benefit from a top lottery pick next June.
Other 2017-18 games between these two teams
Friday, March 30, New Orleans at Cleveland (ESPN)
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