The Cleveland Cavaliers start their preseason on Thursday night when they host the Boston Celtics at Rocket Arena. These two teams were top four in the Eastern Conference last year, but it was the Cavs that surprisingly advanced further in the playoffs. 

Cleveland made the Eastern Conference Finals as the fourth seed, while Boston blew a 3-1 lead in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, despite finishing with the second best record in the East.

What’s New In Boston?

Boston made a significant change to its core this summer, making the decision to move off of 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, sending him to division rival Philadelphia. The Celtics received veteran forward Paul George and a number of draft picks. Boston made this blockbuster transaction to reset their salary books and recoup a few draft assets, so they can retool and build around All-Star Jayson Tatum.

They also brought in center Mitchell Robinson, signing him to a 3 year, $47 million deal, prying the rebounding specialist from the defending champion New York Knicks.

Despite the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown after a career year, Boston can still be a scary team during the regular season. Under head coach Joe Mazzulla, they have been a dominant force, even under adverse circumstances like last year. 

Boston was the best team in the NBA at taking care of the basketball, only turning it over 12.6 times per game. Because of that, the Celtics always get the looks they want offensively, specifically from the three-point line. They have never been hesitant to fire away from deep, sometimes to their detriment in postseason basketball, but throughout an 82-game regular season, Boston knows how to win games. Even though the East got better, the Celtics will always be in the mix, despite their roster looking worse on paper.

This will be the first time Celtics fans get to see Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley in the green and white. Jayson Tatum also gets his first burn in preseason for the first time since his Achilles injury in 2025. He played admirably well for the Celtics to end the season after a remarkable recovery, but he will have to get back to that All-NBA First Team level in order for Boston to stay in the mix.

An interesting wrinkle in Thursday’s contest is that the Celtics are going to employ two of their lead assistants as head coaches.

Preseason Preview

In the preseason, the result of any contest doesn’t really matter that much. In 2024-25, Cleveland didn’t win a single preseason game, but reeled off 15 straight wins to begin that historic 64-win campaign. The preseason is about making sure players get into rhythm against opponents besides themselves.

As we have already seen in other games this week, most teams will only employ their regular rotation in the first half.

As for the second half of preseason games, this is where players at the end of the roster look to make names for themselves and prove to their coaches that they deserve a spot on the roster. For Cleveland, there are a number of guys that could make some noise in the rotation.

Players to Watch

For Cleveland, watch for how their backup guards play. The likes of Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas are all fighting for those bench guard minutes during the regular season. There will also be a battle for the backup power forward role. Will Nae’Qwan Tomlin earn that spot, or can Mario Hezonja continue to impress, like he has in training camp so far?

Injury Report

Boston Celtics

• NONE

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Peyton Watson (Hamstring) - Game-Time Decision

Projected Starting Lineup

Boston Celtics - Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, Neemias Queta

Cleveland Cavaliers - James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Official Starting Lineup

Boston Celtics - TBD

Cleveland Cavaliers- TBD

Jerseys

Boston Celtics - Icon (Green)

Cleveland Cavaliers - Association (White)

How to Watch and Listen

Date: Thursday, Oct. 8

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland

TV: DAZN

Radio: WTAM 1100