Things to look for on NBA's Opening Night

The NBA is finally back Tuesday night and the league is kicking off its 77th season with a double-feature. The Boston Celtics will raise their 18th banner to the rafters of TD Garden ahead of a rivalry renewal with the new-look New York Knicks. Following the game in Boston, the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. It could be the first time a father-son duo share the same NBA court.

Here are some things to look for during Tuesday's Opening Night...

Will the Celtics have a championship hangover? Boston is returning pretty much the exact same roster that won Banner 18, with role players shuffling around and Kristaps Porzingis out until around Christmastime. Tuesday night against the Knicks the Celtics will be starting the same five players they started in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is determined to get his players to remember that the championship they won in June is last season's, and Tuesday night kicks off this season.

“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term,” Mazzulla said on the Locked on Celtics podcast this summer. “If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most. Whether you’ve won or haven’t won, your mindset can’t change. You have to understand what goes into winning and losing, commit to the details on a daily basis, and remain aggressive. You’re not defending something, you’re attacking a new goal.”

As for New York, Karl-Anthony Towns will be making his official Knick debut. During the Knicks preseason games, KAT averaged 18.2 points and 11 rebounds in 25.5 minutes. The Knicks traded fan favorites Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Towns in a move they think will get them to the top.

Randle and DiVincenzo will be making their regular season debut with the Timberwolves on Tuesday night as well. Trading Towns has made the T-Wolves a little smaller, but they needed to free up money to maximize Anthony Edwards' window and get more offense on the court when Edwards rests. Tuesday's opening night is the first 'battle' in the 'Who-Won-The-Trade war' between New York and Minnesota.

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Finally, all eyes will be on the Lakers to see if LeBron and Bronny James will play together. According to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania Bronny is expected to play tonight.

"I'm told it's very likely that LeBron James, Bronny James make history as the first father-son duo to be on the court at the same time, and likely to come early in the game as long as it's competitive and it's a flowing game as far as where the Lakers are at early on in that game," Charania reported on Sports Center. "I think that's going to be very important. The Lakers want to allow this to happen during the flow of the game in a competitive environment."

Opening night in the NBA begins at 7:30 with Celtics-Knicks, and Lakers-Timberwolves will tip-off following the first game, around 10:00. Both games are on TNT.

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