Cleveland Cavaliers 2022-23 preseason full schedule, dates, times

The Cleveland Cavaliers played their last game on Friday, April 15th, a Play-In Tournament loss to the Atlanta Hawks. That’s roughly four months and counting since fans have seen the Cavs in action, with individuals playing in Summer League or in overseas tournaments the only way to slake their thirst.

Now we know exactly how long we will have to wait, with the preseason schedule for the Cleveland Cavaliers now out. This will be the first showing for the real Cavs team since April, and marks the beginning of the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will suit up for the first time in October. With the Cavs’ preseason schedule now released, what are the schedules, dates and times?

Preseason games don’t technically count, but they are an excellent way to see how well a team is playing and give more than a hint about how the season may start. For example, the Golden State Warriors went 5-0 in last year’s preseason and went on to have a hot start and ultimately bring home the title.

Whether or not the Cavs’ preseason games mean anything, just seeing Darius Garland and Evan Mobley and everyone else on a basketball court will be joyful enough. As currently announced the Cavs are set up to play four games in the 2022-23 NBA Preseason.

Let’s go game by game to set the stage for all four games.

Wednesday, October 5th, 7pm: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers

The Cavs and 76ers built up something of a little rivalry last season, with the Sixers sweeping the Cavaliers but always in tough, scrappy games. Philly revamped their rotation around Joel Embiid and James Harden and this will be a first look at how that new group looks together. The Cavs will get to try out defensive strategies for slowing Embiid inside.

Monday, October 10th, 7pm: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

It’s a preseason home-and-home, as the Sixers fly to Cleveland to take on the Cavs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavs’ preseason home opener will be the first chance for local fans to see their team live in 6 months, including new rookie Ochai Agbaji.

Wednesday, October 12th, 7pm: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks

Bitter postseason endings breed beef, and the Hawks and Cavs battled it out for the final playoff spot last season. The Hawks ended up winning by six points and going on to get blasted by the Miami Heat, while the Cavs went home. That worked out for the Cavs in the big picture, as they kept their draft pick and selected Ochai Agbaji, but it was still a painful end to a promising season. Trae Young is a big name that will draw plenty of fans to the FieldHouse, and he will be bringing his new wingman Dejounte Murray.

Friday, October 14th, 7pm: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic

Last year the Cavs may have walked out of the NBA Draft with the best player in Evan Mobley; this year it might have been the Orlando Magic, who took Duke forward Paolo Banchero first overall. Banchero was electric in Summer League and looks like a bona fide star in the making. Playing in Orlando might also mean some players stay at new center Robin Lopez’s house on Disney property. I would pay money to see Lopez and Jarrett Allen riding It’s a Small World together.

The NBA preseason is still weeks away, but now we know when basketball starts again for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tune back in starting October 5th for the start of another great season.