Jae Crowder’s Celtics and Jeremy Lin’s Nets will square off in the season opener Wednesday in Boston. (Getty)
The Boston Celtics visit the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night in the season opener for both, and the two franchises are in far different positions as the 2016-17 campaign begins.
After reaching the playoffs but not advancing in each of Brad Stevens’ first two seasons at the helm, the Celtics looked to the free agent market to add a player who can help change their fortunes. Boston ultimately landed versatile big man Al Horford, whose offensive skill set should make things even easier for the likes of guard Isaiah Thomas and by extension improve the team’s perimeter shooting.
As for Brooklyn, they’re still in the midst of rebuilding a roster still impacted by their trade with the Celtics that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn. General manager Sean Marks and new head coach Kenny Atkinson have a lot of work to do, with center Brook Lopez and guard Jeremy Lin being the offensive focal points.
Looking for a live stream of tonight’s Celtics-Nets season opener? There are a handful of options, depending on where you live and whether you have cable.
The best option for fans in most areas is NBA League Pass, which is offering a free trial through November 1. League Pass games are subjected to blackout restrictions in areas where a team’s local broadcast is available through a cable provider, so it’s not an option for people in the Boston or New York regions. Fans in the New York area can watch the YES broadcast on Sling TV, which also offers a free trial. Read on for details.
If you’re in the Boston region, unfortunately, there’s no free, legal stream that doesn’t require a cable log-in.
If you’re unsure whether you’re subjected to League Pass’ blackout restrictions, you can click here and enter your zip code. You’ll get a message letting you know which teams’ games are blacked out in your area.
Here’s a rundown of the streaming options:
If You Don’t Have Cable
Outside of the Boston and New York regions: Watch via NBA League Pass’ free trial: If you’re not in the Boston region or New York region, you can watch the game for free via NBA League Pass. There are multiple subscription options that we’ll outline below. But the program has a free trial that runs through November 1. Click here to create an account and start your free trial. You can watch the game on your computer or through the NBA app on a smart phone or connected TV.
Click here to download the NBA app in the iTunes App Store.
Click here to download the NBA app in the Google Play Store.
Click here to download the NBA app via Amazon.
You can also access the NBA app on an Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire tablet, Amazon Fire FV, Amazon Fire FV Stick, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita or Roku.
If you’re interested in signing up for a League Pass subscription and watching games beyond November 2, the pricing options are as follows:
— A team pass for $119.99. This will give you access to every out-of-market game for one team.
— An all-access league pass for $199.99. This will give you access to every out-of-market game for the whole league.
— A one-game pass for $6.99. This will allow you to watch one out-of-market game at a time.
In Greater New York: Watch via Sling TV’s free trial: If you’re in the New York area, you can watch the YES broadcast through Sling TV, an online streaming service that offers access to a growing number of networks for a monthly fee. You can watch the game for free by taking advantage of Sling’s free 7-day trial.
To sign up for Sling, follow these steps:
1. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial period ends, you will not be charged.
2. When you sign up, select Sling’s Blue package, which costs $25 per month. You’ll also have the option of selecting Sling’s Orange package, and/or selecting “add-ons,” all of which come with a monthly fee but are included in the free trial. The Blue package is the only one that includes YES. Note: the Blue package is listed immediately to the right of the Orange package on the Sling TV website.
3. Download the Sling app on your desktop or mobile device, and navigate over to YES to watch the game.
If you’re on a mobile device, you can download the Sling app for free in the App store or the Google Play store. There’s also a Sling app for Roku, Chromecast, Nexus player, ZTE and XBox One. Click here for a full list of compatible devices.
If You Have Cable
In New England:
If you have a cable or satellite subscription that includes CSN New England, you can watch the game via either CSNNE.com or the NBC Sports app, by using the login information from your cable account.
To download the NBC Sports app for an Apple device, click here.
To download the NBC Sports app for an Android device, click here.
The NBC Sports app is also available for Windows, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, XBox and Samsung. Click here to access download links for those specific platforms.
In Greater New York:
YES does not offer live streams of Nets games through its website. If you’re in the New York region and want to watch the game, your best option is to sign up for a free trial of Sling TV, which includes YES.
To sign up for Sling, follow these steps:
1. Click here to sign up for Sling TV. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial period ends, you will not be charged.
2. When you sign up, select Sling’s Blue package, which costs $25 per month. You’ll also have the option of selecting Sling’s Orange package, and/or selecting “add-ons,” all of which come with a monthly fee but are included in the free trial. The Blue package is the only one that includes YES. Note: the Blue package is listed immediately to the right of the Orange package on the Sling TV website.
3. Download the Sling app on your desktop or mobile device, and navigate over to YES to watch the game.
If you’re on a mobile device, you can download the Sling app for free in the App store or the Google Play store. There’s also a Sling app for Roku, Chromecast, Nexus player, ZTE and XBox One. Click here for a full list of compatible devices.
