After the warm-up ended, the opening ceremony commenced and the starting lineups for both teams were announced.
Cavaliers: Irving, Hansen, Tucker, TT, Hawes
Lakers: Jordan Clarkson, Kobe, James, Frye, Mozgov
Whether Garnett would start tonight was a major concern for everyone, as though he was aging, he had always been a starter, with his last time coming off the bench tracing back to his rookie season.
However, Malone eventually decided to let this record end.
Garnett's career accomplishments were already spectacular, much like how Jordan never needed records like scoring double figures in 1225 consecutive games, Garnett did not need to prove anything by continually starting games.
In essence, that was just padding his career, unrelated to greatness.
On the Lakers side, perhaps because the defense against Irving on the previous Christmas battle wasn't successful, Lin Shuhao wasn't starting; instead, the Lakers opted for this year's second-round pick Jordan Clarkson.
