Cavs begin new season of hope in Brooklyn

Brooklyn, NY- The streets and parking lots of Rocket Mortgage stadium may be empty, but every bar and restaurant in Cleveland will be packed as everyone gets together to watch their Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Brooklyn Nets.

The Cavaliers had an amazing season last year going 51-31 and capturing the 4th seed in the east. Clevelands season ended later on with a first round exit to the New York Knicks. The young and brilliant Cavs team gained valuable experience last year as the team continues their chase for a second championship in franchise history.

The Cavs this offseason continued to build around their core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen by retaining several key players and making multiple new editions.

This offseason the Cavaliers upgraded their team's shooting adding forwards Max Strus and Georges Niang to the squad. Along with that the Cavs brought on a familiar face in Tristan Thompson for some veteran leadership and new guard Ty Jerome to add to the depth. The Cavs new editions look to get an extended amount of playing tonight as Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade will miss tonight's game.

The Cavs starting lineup for tonight will feature Darius Garland at point guard, Donovan Mitchell at shooting guard, Max Strus at small forward, Isaac Okoro at power forward and Evan Mobley at center. The Nets starting lineup tonight will feature Ben Simmons at point guard, Spencer Dinwiddie at shooting guard, Mikal Bridges at small forward, Cameron Johnson at power forward and Nic Claxton at center.

The Nets had a great season last year finishing 47-35 and finishing 6th in the east before being eliminated by the 76ers in round one of the playoffs. The Nets traded superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant last year in return for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and much more. The Nets look to build off last year's strong season with a young and potent roster.

The Cavaliers open up the season away as -1.5 favorites against the Brooklyn Nets. Tip off will take place tonight in Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. ET.