Will King James and his crew reign supreme again? While much of the NBA focus is on Kevin Durant and the Warriors out West, it is LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers who will aim to defend their title in 2016-17. They will start that trek in a home game against the New York Knicks in the regular season opener for both sides.
While expectations are higher in New York after the addition of some notable pieces, Cleveland still has the superior roster and will be a comfortable favorite in this matchup.
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Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are heavy favorites to again emerge from the Eastern Conference, as the presence of LeBron James gives them a trump card among every other foe. Cleveland has the second-best NBA title odds heading into the season behind only the aforementioned Warriors.
The Knicks hope players like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah can complement a core which showed some positive signs last season but still went only 32-50. Oddsmakers don’t see a huge turnaround, as the Knicks are projected to improve but still finish under .500 this season.
Player to Watch
LeBron James - The Cavaliers’ superstar put the team on his back in last year’s NBA Finals, rallying Cleveland from a 3-1 deficit. While James is now officially on the back half of his career, he proved he is still the most dominant player in the game.
James averaged 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists a season ago and is a handful for any team that tries to cover him. The Knicks will likely employ several different defenders to try to slow him down, but when James is motivated he is unstoppable.
He should put on a show in this one with everyone tuned in to watch.
Derrick Rose’s Debut
The Knicks acquired Derrick Rose from the Bulls in the offseason and hope he can return to the form that he previously showed before all of his knee injuries. Rose hasn’t played up to that level and it would be surprising if he ever becomes an All-Star again.
Rose missed the past few weeks of practice because he was in Los Angeles for a civil trial which accused him and two friends of gang-rape. Rose and his co-defendants were found not liable.
He returned to the team recently and coach Jeff Hornacek is unsure if Rose will be ready to play starter’s minutes in this matchup. Rose is transitioning to a new team and the missed practice time could put him behind the eight-ball early in the season.
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The Cavaliers return the core of last year’s title team, and that chemistry should show up in this game. The team is playing at home, where there should be a frenzied crowd. Cleveland won 57 games a season ago and there’ no reason to think it won’t match or exceed that number this season with James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love again leading the way.
The Knicks, meanwhile, have a lot new pieces being added to the fold, and it could take some time for the chemistry to build. They have some good players like Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis to lead the way, but the roster doesn’t compare to what the Cavaliers will march out there.
Cleveland is widely expected to see the Warriors in the NBA Finals again, and both sides will be aiming for home court advantage with a good regular season. The Cavaliers should have no problem picking up a win in the opener. Expect Cleveland to pull away in the third quarter and cruise to a double-digit win.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 98, Knicks 85
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