Trevor Joseph
With fans around the world waiting for the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, it seems that the Cleveland Cavaliers will need their passports as sources say they will be heading north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors to open the season.
Although the full NBA schedule has not been released at the time of writing some games have been leaked for example The Golden State Warriors are reportedly playing the Memphis Grizzles on Christmas day. It will be a fun Matchup for the two young teams as Evan Mobley and Scotty Barnes had a very intense battle for the Rookie Of The Year Award last season.
Last season was The Cleveland Cavaliers’ first winning season without LeBron James since he was Drafted in 2003. The Cavs went 44-38 last season which got them into the play-in tournament where they lost back-to-back games to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks and that knocked them out of playoff contention.
The Cavs are looking to get back to their former glory back when they had four straight NBA Finals appearances and an NBA Championship in 2016. With a very promising young line-up with All-Star point guard, Darius Garland leading the charge and others like Evan Mobley and Jarett Allen backing him up the Cavaliers are in a good spot to make some noise this coming season.
“The Raptors are one of the teams standing in Cleveland’s way. Aided by Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, the Raptors finished with 48 wins last season, earning the fifth seed in the East. They were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the 76ers in six games. Adding more spice to the matchup: the budding rivalry between Mobley and Barnes — the third and fourth picks of the 2021 NBA Draft and top two finishers for Rookie of the Year in the closest vote since 2002-03.” reported by Cleveland.com.
It is no secret that the NBA tries to make opening day matchups as exciting as possible and Cleveland’s first game will be just that. Both teams are young and have a lot to prove this season so it should be a must-watch game for both franchises’ fans. Will the Cavs reach the playoffs this season for the first time without LeBron Since he has been drafted? Or will they fall short again? Only time will tell as we all get ready for NBA basketball to return in October.
Image Credits: Flickr.
