Cavaliers Crush Celtics On Opening Night

What a fantastic way to start the season! Thanks to the generous folks at NBA.com and their free League Pass preview offer at the moment, I was able to watch every minute of yesterday's classic between the Cavs and Celtics. I'm so glad I did.

The new-look Cavaliers team hustled to a 95-87 victory last night in front of a sellout crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena. I doubt many pundits, so-called "experts", and the majority of fans expected the young Cavs team to beat the veteran Celtics, but they went ahead and did just that. It was certainly a close game, and the Cavs could have given up in the 3rd quarter when they trailed Boston by 11 points. However, Byron Scott's dynamic Cavs side battled back against the odds to stun the Celtics and take home the win.

JJ Hickson, I player I really liked last season, became the go-to guy for the Cavs as he took over the game in the first quarter, racking up 10 points very quickly. He was moving well, setting good screens, and making shot after shot. His mid-range jumper is impressive, and he continued to be a pest to the Celtics all night as he eventually finished with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting, with 6 rebounds. I'm really hoping Hickson can continue this form over the course of the season as his athleticism is truly something to marvel at, as he glides through the paint with ease. Hickson is my boy this year, I'll be rooting for him.

Hickson was not the only Cavalier who helped lead the team past the Celtics. Daniel Gibson had a mixed evening but came through for us when it mattered, as he had an impressive second half to the game. He finished with 16 points, including some clutch free-throws with the game winding down, to seal the win. Gibson missed his first eight shots, as nothing seemed to be going his way, but he finally nailed a big three pointer in the 3rd quarter and he took off from there. The bench as a whole were impressive last night, as they carried the team in the second half, and really became the catalyst for victory. Ryan Hollins was particularly impressive, as he played good defense, came through on offense when he was called, and worked hard for the team all night. Anthony Parker's clutch 3 pointer with 1 second left on the shot clock late in the 4th quarter was the final nail in the coffin, to cap off a memorable Cavaliers win at the Q.

Obviously the team is far from perfect, and there is still a lot of work to do, they are not the finished article. Not every game will be like last night (unfortunately). The offense had some bad stretches, they looked lost at times as the Celtics really put the pressure on. Ramon Sessions was inconsistent for the majority of the game; he seemed to rush the break and force the offense a bit. Most of the time, Sessions should have passed the ball when he opted instead to shoot, a mistake more often than not. As a point guard, I didn't expect him to be as aggressive as he was, and Sessions consistently got called for offensive fouls. I think he needs to tone it down a bit in the future, as Gibson ended up getting more minutes than him in the second half. However, he did have a terrific 2nd quarter where he really got into his flow and finished the night with 14 points. The team are obviously still a work in progress and it will take time to get everything right. Patience will be key this season.

Overall it was a successful opening night, and a game I will remember for a long time. I really enjoyed the hustle and hard work the team put in, and the fans responded to it with multiple standing ovations and incredible noise. The team rewarded them (and me) with a fantastic upset win against what most people consider the best team in the East. Kevin Garnett, on the Cavs, commented: "I think they value that their strength is playing together." And I totally agree with Boston's big man, it is an absolute joy to watch the Cavs play as a real team now. It will ultimately be what determines their success or failure this year. Mary Schmitt Boyer at The Plain Dealer summed it up nicely: "By beating the arch-rival Eastern Conference defending champion Celtics in their first regular-season game since the departure of Lebron James, the Cavs served notice that they're still here and they can -- and will -- win with James." Not every body in the media was so positive about the Cavs' upset win, as Steve Aschburner at NBA.com couldn't help but put the fire out. "The Cavaliers, with so many of the supporting cast still in place, have the special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and the sesame-seed bun. But oh, are those two all-beef patties ever conspicuously missing." The majority of the national media are not going to stop reminding us that Cleveland are a lot worse off without Lebron, but they should at least give credit where it is due and praise the team's success, which Aschburner begrudgingly does in his article. We all know Lebron has taken his skills to Miami, I think we've heard enough about him already this year, because I know I have. It's time to focus on the guys who he left behind, the players who will carry the Cavaliers flag night after night; the guys who went out and beat the favoured Boston Celtics. I think the Cavs will continue to surprise a lot of people throughout this campaign, just like they did last night.

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New Kids On The Block

Earlier this week the Cleveland Cavaliers sent guards Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for dynamic point guard Ramon Sessions and 7'0 centre Ryan Hollins. This is the first major roster move by our new GM Chris Grant and the beginning of our new look Cavaliers team. It is not a massive trade by any means, but the Cavs will be better for it.

Sessions is 24 years old and still has his best years ahead of him. He's coming off a poor year in Minnesota where he struggled to adapt to an undefined role on the team and not much playing time. Lets be honest, the T-Wolves as an organisation are a complete mess so it must be a struggle for every one of their players. However, Sessions enjoyed success in his first 2 years in the league with Milwaukee, setting their franchise record for assists with 24 against the Bulls in April 2008. Yes, 24 ASSISTS. In one game. Crazy. Terry Pluto had said that Sessions is "exactly the type of player the Cavs should be adding at this stage of their life without Lebron James." What does he mean? Sessions, partnered with new head coach Byron Scott's up-tempo approach, is going to bring some fun to the Quicken Loans Arena. Ramon will be pushing the break, getting up the court quickly and injecting some excitement into Cleveland basketball. Gone are the days of watching Lebron dribble out the shot clock. Scott and Sessions will make this Cavs side fun to watch at the very least. Again, Pluto sums it up best: "The Cavs have a backcourt jammed with guards who love to fire away from long distance - Anthony Parker, Mo Williams and (Daniel) Gibson. They don't have a pure point guard such as Sessions." Well, now we do.

The coup of this trade is obviously Sessions, but the Cavs also gained depth and height to our understaffed group of centres. 25 Year old 7 footer Ryan Hollins will probably start the new season as a backup, but I expect he will see more minutes in Cleveland than he has at any other stage in his pro career. His height, quickness, and athleticism, plus his ability to pull off spectacular blocks, will ensure he will be given a chance to shine in Byron Scott's new Cavaliers team. At 25 he is still developing and hopefully he can blossom into a force under the basket.

The only negative aspect to this trade is that, like every trade, we always have to say goodbye to someone we used to root for. Delonte West became quite a fan favourite during his time in Cleveland, but he had a troubled season on and off the court last year and it was his time to go. Sebastian Telfair, who shined briefly during his limited stay in town, is again being shipped off to another team in a trade. This will be his second stint with the Timberwolves and I've lost count of how many clubs he has played for during his time in the NBA. I think Telfair could have found a home in this new team - he is the type of PG that Scott could mould into a real floor general, but apparently the front office felt that Sessions would be a better fit and that Telfair would have to be sacrificed to achieve this. I hope Delonte and Sebastian find success in their NBA futures, but I doubt it will be in Minnesota.

So Sessions and Hollins are the new boys in town to help the city of Cleveland recover from "The Defection" and return the Cavs to the top of the East. Its going to take time, longer than we probably expect, but the acquisition of Sessions is a positive step in the right direction.

Thanks for reading.