Preseason Live Thread: Cavs vs. Magic (#GetExcited)

Can you feel it Cavs fans? Sure, it doesn’t count in the standings yet… but basketball is back again in Cleveland as the Cavs open their preseason officially against the Orlando Magic tonight at the Q. It will be the team’s first NBA game action since Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals in June, and even though that was a little over three months ago, it’s weirdly seemed like an eternity. That’s the thing about winning a Championship… you never have that final loss to send you home to take a break for next year. You just want to see your team go out and keep winning…

The wine & gold will aim to do just that against an Orlando team that they’ve rarely lost to in recent memory. In fact, there isn’t an opponent in the Cavs have owned more than the Magic over the past few years, running their win streak to 14 straight after completing another sweep of Orlando last season. Cleveland won all four games by an average margin of 20 points, and delivered the largest beatdown in Magic history on December 11 with a 111-76 win at Orlando.

Both teams have changed a bit since they saw each other last. The Magic to a larger degree as they’ve made several roster moves and hired a new head coach, Frank Vogel who was let go by the Pacers. They made a blockbuster swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder, moving Victor Oladipo in exchange for big man Serge Ibaka, and they signed Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin in free agency. The Magic also re-signed their own free agent, Evan Fournier, to a near max deal. We probably won’t see Ibaka (knee soreness), Aaron Gordon (sprained left ankle), Elfrid Payton (strained left hip) and Jodie Meeks (fractured toe) in this matchup though. 

For the Cavs, Mike Dunleavy and Chris “Birdman” Andersen have replaced the departed Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov, and a combo of rookies and camp invitees have stepped in to compete for Mo Williams’ vacated spot now that he’s retired. Many of those campers will get a long look tonight (and throughout the preseason), especially at the guard positions with the ongoing contract negotiation stalemate between the Cavs and J.R. Smith, and with coach Ty Lue holding Kyrie Irving out of tonight’s action for rest purposes (LeBron James is also likely to play sparingly).

Getting the start in place of Kyrie is DeAndre Liggins, who signed a two-year, partially guaranteed deal this offseason to join the Cavs. Though primarily a swingman, the 6’6 guard has handled the ball well throughout his career. Liggins, who was a former defensive player of the year in the D-League, was recruited to the University of Kentucky as a point guard, but changed positions with the arrival of John Wall. He had previously played the point in the D-League and also handled the ball for the Cavs during the Summer League, where he averaged 5.9 points and 5.0 rebounds.

DeAndre Liggins discusses his role as a point guard, love for playing defense and more.
#CavsMagic Shootaround 📹: https://t.co/Qvl5u2Ty4s https://t.co/ZASmjQGJdu

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 5, 2016

Though Liggins got the nod over Jordan McRae, rookie Kay Felder, new vet signees Toney Douglas and Markel Brown, we should see plenty of action from all of them in tonight’s game.

Probable lineup for the Magic: Mario Hezonja SF, Bismack Biyombo PF, Nikola Vucevic C, Evan Fournier SG, D.J. Augustin PG. And for the Cavs: LeBron James SF, Kevin Love PF, Tristan Thompson C, Iman Shumpert SG, DeAndre Liggins PG.

To follow along for game coverage:

TV: FOX Sports Ohio, NBATV

Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS

And as always… join the discussion here on C:tB!

LET’S GO CAVS!