LeBron James injury update
Oct 10, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Paul Zipser (16) during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze

The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Boston Celtics in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference Finals as the 2017-18 NBA season kicks off on Tuesday (Wednesday in Australia). This offseason, the rivalry between the teams intensified after the Cavs sent Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the 2018 Brooklyn Nets first-round pick and another future second-round pick.

Though Thomas won't be taking the court on opening night, Irving will face hostile Cavs fans for the first time since demanding a trade out of Cleveland. Irving spent the first six seasons of his career in Cleveland, helping the team win a franchise-first championship. However, the dynamic between Irving and LeBron James reportedly took a turn for the worst after the team got drubbed by Golden State Warriors in June's Finals.

The Celtics, despite acquiring the No. 1 seed last season, proved no match for the Cavaliers in the conference finals. Their young roster, led by Isaiah Thomas, was outclassed and overpowered by record margins of defeat. However, the new-look Celtics team featuring All-Stars Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford, besides the young core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, could make some noise against Cleveland in a likely conference finals rematch next May.

Meanwhile, there is a cloud of uncertainty over LeBron James' participation in Tuesday's game. The four-time MVP aggravated an ankle injury during his only preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. In the 108-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls, James had 17 points and 8 turnovers before feeling discomfort in his ankle.

All eyes will be on Irving come Tuesday night, but the larger and more important issue between the Cavs and Celtics is one that will play out over time: Has Boston closed the gap on James and the Cavs? Veteran guard J.R. Smith expects James to play despite coach Tyronn Lue stating otherwise.

"Um (long pause). No, not really, honestly (James won't miss the season opener). Obviously, there's different people in different jerseys, but I mean, I don't really pose them as a big threat to us," Smith said after his team's scrimmage session on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Irving acknowledged that the Cavs have a new-look roster with the additions of Jae Crowder, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose and Jeff Green. With Tristan Thompson going to the bench, the Cavs will unveil a new starting line-up featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and Kevin Love. Isaiah Thomas, the All-Star point guard, will take Rose's place upon returning from hip injury.

"They have different pieces, obviously. There's just one guy missing. That's it. They added a lot of other great pieces they have on their team. And they're running some similar things. But the playmaking as well that they have, that they utilize now, whether (James) is on the ball or whether Bron's off the ball, they've got a point guard in Rose and a veteran in Jose Calderon, then of course guys coming off the bench.

"And, defence, raising the level of awareness out there, I mean, they have Jae Crowder at the 4 and Kevin Love at the 5. So that right there is a different framework than what I saw last year. So we've just got to get used to it," Irving added. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics live streaming, Cavs vs Celtics live streaming and 2017-18 NBA season live streaming info follows.

Cavs vs Celtics live stream: Watch NBA online
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 17 (Wednesday in Australia)
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET (Local Time), 5 p.m. PT (10 a.m. AEST Wednesday)
TV Channel: TNT (USA), ESPN (Australia), NBA TV (Global)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass (Global), WatchESPN (Australia)