As the NBA slowly rolls out the full 2025-26 NBA schedule, the Cleveland Cavaliers have already been included in numerous highly-anticipated matchups.
The Cavaliers open the season in a primetime game on the road versus the New York Knicks, pitting the top two Eastern Conference contenders against each other on ESPN. Opening the season with a battle for an early lead on the first seed immediately throws the Cavs into the lion's den, testing their resolve and mindset after a poor playoff performance.
Cleveland was included in every schedule for days with a major draw, including being the first team to compete in a Peacock-exclusive, visiting the Detroit Pistons as NBC rejoins the NBA broadcasting family. While the Pistons are still a young and unproven squad, the recent star injuries across the top of the conference make Detroit a probable competitor for a top-three position this coming season. They pose a legitimate challenge with a physical, bruising roster and Cleveland's former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff leading the charge.
In January for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Cavaliers host the reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder in what many may view as a Finals preview. The Cavs and Thunder are favorites in their respective conferences, and both are young and hungry contenders to become the next NBA dynasty. With the reigning MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning DPOY in Evan Mobley, there may be no better head-to-head across the league.
For Mobley, these games could ignite a campaign for back-to-back awards, especially as Victor Wembanyama develops into the physical anomaly that he could become. Cleveland has given the keys to the franchise to Mobley this summer, and these matches are his next proving ground.
Finally, for the first time since 2017, the Cavaliers will kick off the NBA's Christmas Day lineup. Not only do the Cavs begin the Christmas pandemonium, but they will do it in the league's biggest arena with an opening night rematch against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Bringing the Cavaliers to the Association's biggest stage on the nation's biggest holiday is a clear indicator of where the Cavs sit among the top contenders.
The Cavaliers may finally be getting recognition after three years of playoff appearances, earning key national games and a place in the league's spotlight. That same spotlight brings a critical microscope, though, on a team that has failed to continue their regular season success into the postseason.
Cavaliers must prove themselves next season
For every key matchup the Cavaliers earn this season, the pressure grows to demonstrate themselves as real threats in the league. Mobley and Donovan Mitchell earned All-NBA accolades, and Darius Garland joined the duo as the third Cavaliers All-Star.
With this national schedule, their wishes to be seen as a real contender have been answered by everyone but themselves. Cleveland has not been shy about their high internal expectations. The NBA Finals is the ultimate goal, but continued playoff embarrassments and pitiful execution against prepared competition have halted that progress.
The Cavaliers are still young and likely do not view this years as a championship-or-bust season, but a failed playoff run could signal the end of the core four and define this era of Cavs basketball as everything but what it should have been. Alternatively, dominating in MSG to start the season and on Christmas Day could be an early indicator of the Cavaliers' abilities to contend at the highest level.
Since reigniting a competitive spirit after a four-year rebuild, the Cavs have not received much national attention, often fighting as forgotten contenders. Cleveland has consistently fallen short when given the opportunity to prove that perspective wrong, but the league has gifted them every chance possible to change the narrative.
Winning on December 25 will not give the Cleveland Cavaliers another Finals parade in downtown, and beating OKC a few weeks later will not do that, either. Still, how the Cavs perform on the big stage in the regular season will prove if they learned from the playoffs or are still the same old underperformers.