BSJ Live Coverage: Celtics at Cavaliers preseason 7:00 p.m. - First taste of Boston basketball

BOSTON CELTICS at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH

Game time: 7:00 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Celtics injury report:

• TBA

Cavaliers injury report:

• TBA

Preview: For the first time in months, the Boston Celtics will take the court yet again. Last time around, their season ended in devastating fashion. On Thursday night, the stakes will be much lower.

They'll be taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first game of the preseason. However, Joe Mazzulla won't be on the sideline. Instead, Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay will take over as head coaches (each for one half).

"Tonight, D-Mac and Tony will be coaching the game. I want to give them the opportunity to be able to just build themselves as coaches," Mazzulla said at shootaround on Thursday morning. "Both those guys had [head] coaching interviews this past summer, and I want them to be able to build on that. And also, I think it's good to watch the game from a different perspective. So, those guys will be out there, they'll be running the show, and [I'm] excited for them and want them to continue to grow."

Mazzulla did not provide an update on which players would be available, though an injury report will be announced as game time inches closer.

Tale of the tape: The Cavaliers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. However, the New York Knicks brutally swept them and went on to win an NBA Championship.

This summer, Cleveland didn't do much. It traded for Peyton Watson, shipping out Max Strus in the process, and brought in Mario Hezonja. The Cavs also re-signed James Harden to a new deal.

As for the Celtics, well, the changes are obvious. Jaylen Brown is out. Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley are in. And Jayson Tatum will be starting the season healthy.

Shootaround sound: How different are the preseason and training camp? The Celtics have been working out all summer anyway, and for the past two weeks, they've been scrimmaging constantly.

For Mazzulla, it's the same. During the preseason, he's going to be looking for the same things he's been looking for during camp.

"It's the extension [of camp]," Mazzulla said of the preseason. "I mean, it's always good, I would say, from a player's perspective. They're probably happy to go out and play against somebody else other than themselves. But at the same time, I value the practices --  they're just as important as the games are. So, you want to see the same carryover as what we had in our practices as we do in the games."

But for the players, it's different. Because now, they get a chance to truly let the competitive juices flow. And perhaps more importantly, they get to see a different look.

"It's what you look forward to, honestly. You get tired of playing each other," Conley said. "We've had to play against Celtics basketball for the last month, where we know everything we're gonna do, but you finally get to see different looks, different personnel, another level of competition there. It's the fun part. You get to see what's working, see what we've been working on, and how we're gonna apply it to a real game situation."

One fun play: Obviously, there haven't been any plays to pull from so far. This is the first game of the season. But here's a video I made from one of the times the Celtics played the Cavaliers last season.

Darius Garland isn't in town anymore, but James Harden isn't exactly a massive step up defensively. So, the concept still stands. On one end, the Celtics did their best to take Garland and Donovan Mitchell out of every action. On the other, they attacked them to force them into playing defense.

The Celtics have a different team this year. Better defenders across the board, especially with the additions of George and Robinson. Having Tatum back will help, too.

So they may choose a more straight-up defensive style. However, with how many elite defensive playmakers they have, it could be worth focusing on forcing turnovers.

Meanwhile, on offense, the Celtics have emphasized a more free-flowing approach throughout training camp. So, while they will likely focus on one-on-one matchups in pockets of the game, keep an eye out for more ball movement and more guys getting involved.