OPENING TIP
Well, we’ve finally arrived: The Mike Brown Era, Take II. And other than the Heat, it would be difficult to find a more intriguing Eastern Conference opponent to open against. The remade Nets feature newcomers Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry, all of whom may or may not be past their primes. Either way, Brown is more concerned with his guys. They looked better in the preseason. Now, for the Cavs, the real thing offers a real taste of how far they’ve come. But remember, win or lose, it’s merely the first test.
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland.
TV/Radio: 7 p.m. EST, FOX Sports Ohio/NBA TV/WTAM
PROJECTED STARTERS
BROOKLYN NETS (0-0)
C Brook Lopez
PF Kevin Garnett
SF Paul Pierce
SG Joe Johnson
PG Deron Williams
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (0-0)
C Anderson Varejao
PF Tristan Thompson
SF Earl Clark
SG Dion Waiters
PG Kyrie Irving
Pregame notes:
• Cavs C Andrew Bynum (knee), C Tyler Zeller (appendectomy) and rookie SF/SG Sergey Karasev (ankle) are all listed as To Be Determined. None have been given a “probable” or “doubtful” or “out” status. But the Cavs did say Zeller and Karasev are expected to be made available. No word yet on that other guy.
• Nets SF Andrei Kirilenko (back) is listed as doubtful and PG Shaun Livingston as probable. Livingston, of course, backed up Irving last season.’
• Former outstanding point guard and current Nets coach Jason Kidd will not be at the game. He was suspended by the NBA for two games in June for driving while impaired. Kidd will travel with the team to Cleveland. He said he’ll watch the game on TV. Lead assistant Lawrence Frank is expected to coach the Nets on Wednesday.
• As of late Tuesday, Brown had not named a starting small forward. All he would say was he was leaning toward Clark. Alonzo Gee, last year’s starter, is the other candidate.
Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
