The NBA Season Opener Got More Awkward With The Kyrie Irving Trade

The first game of the NBA season always attracts a great deal of attention and that was already the case with regard to the 2017-2018 campaign. The league announced that the Boston Celtics would be traveling to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 17 and, even if the Eastern Conference Finals match looked to be somewhat overshadowed by the late game matchup between Golden State and Houston, it looked fantastic on paper.

Then, Tuesday happened.

First, there was widespread buzz that Kyrie Irving, who had been on the trading block for weeks, could be headed to Boston in trade and that spawned a myriad of scenarios. Then, in short order, the deal came together and Irving is now set to serve as the headliner in a game that features seemingly unending storylines.

LeBron James is the best player in the world and, of course, his mere presence produces quite a bit of gravity. Still, the opening match-up on TNT now features a battle between two All-Star point guards that were traded for one another and the wild intrigue of Isaiah Thomas (health pending) running alongside James and the defending East champs.

Beyond that, Cleveland adds Jae Crowder to the mix as a legitimate wing defender that was sorely needed for the squad and the Celtics, well, have newly acquired forward Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and many more. There will be awkwardness with players facing off in new uniforms and, from a basketball standpoint, the two prohibitive favorites to meet again for the East crown in May.

To ring in the occasion in late August, TNT’s official NBA account fired away.