{"id":855213,"date":"2026-08-14T17:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T17:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/855213\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T17:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T17:42:11","slug":"cavs-2026-27-schedule-5-must-see-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/855213\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavs 2026-27 schedule: 5 must see-games"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Hours after losing to eventual NBA champion New York in the Eastern Conference finals, Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert took to social media with a heat-of-the-moment post. <\/p>\n

It felt like a message.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0took a step ahead this spring, but we are nowhere near where we need to be,\u201d Gilbert wrote. \u201cI can\u2019t thank the fans\u00a0enough for\u00a0the support this year. We will dig in all summer and do everything we possibly can to take the next step. We will grind until we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since that late-night declaration on May 25, the Cavs have been mostly quiet. <\/p>\n

Trade targets Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown went to Miami and Philadelphia. <\/p>\n

A lengthy pursuit of free agent LeBron James, which included a private meeting with Cleveland decision-makers in early July, ended with the two-time former Cavalier choosing to finish his career in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n

Dean Wade and Keon Ellis, rotational members of the Eastern Conference finalists, left in the early hours of free agency. Wade inked a four-year deal with the Sixers while Ellis signed a two-year pact in Brooklyn. <\/p>\n

James Harden, the team\u2019s trade deadline prize, opted out of his contract and remains unsigned \u2014 although the two sides remain in lockstep about him returning to Cleveland on a multi-year deal. <\/p>\n

To this point, the only \u201cadditions\u201d have been rookie second-round draft pick Meleek Thomas, overseas swingman Mario Hezonja, two-way center Ernest Udeh Jr., and Thomas Bryant who signed a one-year deal to return for Year 2. <\/p>\n

Those minor moves don\u2019t seem to support Gilbert\u2019s social media post. They also raise questions about where the Cavs stand in this Eastern Conference arms race. <\/p>\n

Schedule-makers certainly seem to have doubts.<\/p>\n

Six teams are part of the NBA Opening Day slate. Three of them made the conference finals this past season. The only conference finalist excluded? <\/p>\n

You guessed it. <\/p>\n

The Cavs, who won\u2019t play on Christmas Day either. <\/p>\n

In all, overlooked Cleveland will make 17 national television appearances \u2014 half the number of the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Sixers and Knicks, all of whom have 34 appearances. Cleveland\u2019s mark is also less than Oklahoma City (30 national TV appearances), Golden State (28) and Denver (28), Boston (27), Minnesota (27), Miami (25) and Houston (21). <\/p>\n

The Cavs went as far in the playoffs \u2014 or farther \u2014 than each one of those teams. And they are bringing back every core piece of that team. <\/p>\n

Cleveland has every right to feel slighted. It should take that exclusion as disrespect. <\/p>\n

Only one way to change it. On the court. <\/p>\n

Here are five must-see games this coming season: <\/p>\n

\"LeBron'sAfter a lengthy free agency deliberation, LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers. AP Photo\/Tony Dejak<\/p>\n

The King\u2019s new palace<\/p>\n

The league wasted no time tapping the ever-compelling sentimental button. <\/p>\n

On Oct. 22, the Cavs will open the season. <\/p>\n

On the road. In Philadelphia. Against LeBron\u2019s new-look Sixers. His first home game in his new city. A charged environment. A national TV audience. <\/p>\n

The storylines write themselves. <\/p>\n

And that doesn\u2019t even include former Cavalier Wade \u2014 a guy Cleveland wanted to re-sign \u2014 and old hometown executive Mike Gansey, who has immediately put his imprint on the star-studded Sixers. Because of everything that transpired this past summer, there are deep ties between these new conference rivals. <\/p>\n

What better way for the Cavs to prove doubters wrong \u2014 and send an early-season message \u2014 than upstaging King James in his new palace? <\/p>\n

\"LeBronWill there be bad blood between LeBron James and Cleveland after spurning the organization once again? The Plain Dealer<\/p>\n

The Return<\/p>\n

In 2010, LeBron went on national TV and essentially stabbed Cleveland in the back, proclaiming he was taking his talents to South Beach. <\/p>\n

The Decision lives in infamy. <\/p>\n

But after four years in Miami that included multiple championships, the kid from Akron came back home, erasing that blemish on his resume, repairing his relationship with Northeast Ohio and then eventually delivering on a promise by making Cleveland the city of champions once again. <\/p>\n

At that point, it felt like James\u2019 love affair with this region was everlasting. <\/p>\n

Then came this summer. <\/p>\n

James\u2019 lengthy free agency deliberation raised hope that he would join the Cavaliers for a third stint and storybook sendoff. <\/p>\n

So much for that. <\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t a 2010-level betrayal. James has an emotional safety net \u2014 the 2016 championship. <\/p>\n

But Clevelanders weren\u2019t pleased, feeling like he toyed with their hearts and misled the franchise \u2014 again. <\/p>\n

James won\u2019t get pelted with batteries. No synchronized derogatory chants. Few atmospheres will match 2010 in terms of vitriol and hostility. Then again, his welcome-back to Cleveland on Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. might not be a celebratory homecoming like recent years. He may even get booed. <\/p>\n

\"CavsNew York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns and his teammates got to celebrate on Cleveland’s home floor a few months ago. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

The Rematch<\/p>\n

Not only did the Cavs get swept in the conference finals \u2014 one of the most lopsided series in playoff history \u2014 but they were forced to watch New York celebrate inside Rocket Arena while Knicks players roamed the hallways with champagne-soaked gear and goggles. <\/p>\n

By the end of the series, it became clear that Cleveland wasn\u2019t on New York\u2019s level. <\/p>\n

Can\u2019t change that viewpoint in the regular season. Can\u2019t avenge a springtime loss either. But on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m., the Knicks will return to the place where they became conference champs. <\/p>\n

Too bad it\u2019s the second game of a back-to-back, one night after James\u2019 first trip back to Cleveland. <\/p>\n

\"CavsThe Cavs and Pistons will renew their rivalry as part of a grueling January. John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

Start of a brutal stretch <\/p>\n

What are the Cavs made of this season? Will there be another February shakeup? <\/p>\n

January could provide both answers. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a stretch where Cleveland will play 11 of 16 games on the road, starting with a back-to-back in Charlotte and Houston. <\/p>\n

Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

Of those 16 games, all but six are against playoff or play-in teams from last season. Toronto, last year\u2019s first-round opponent that pushed the Cavaliers to seven games, is part of that group. Orlando, Denver, Minnesota, Atlanta and Detroit are mixed in there as well. Each one enters 2026-27 with lofty expectations. <\/p>\n

Cleveland has an equally daunting schedule stretch in early November, with matchups against Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, New York, Charlotte and Miami before a slight mid-month reprieve (Dallas, Chicago and Memphis). <\/p>\n

The highlight of the January stretch comes on Jan. 18 against Detroit \u2014 a Martin Luther King Jr. matinee. <\/p>\n

\"ClevelandFormer Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland hasn’t played at Rocket Arena since his February trade. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n

D.G. the (former) P.G. <\/p>\n

The somewhat surprising Harden blockbuster in February led to the departure of Darius Garland who, at the time, was the longest-tenured Cavalier. Although teammates got to say goodbye a few days later, as Garland sat courtside as the newest Clipper, the city hasn\u2019t gotten its opportunity. <\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Eve, that will change. <\/p>\n

The Clippers make their lone visit to Rocket Arena for a 3 p.m. tipoff, giving fans an opportunity to celebrate Garland\u2019s seven-year run and show appreciation for a beloved player that helped Cleveland emerge from the rebuild darkness in a post-LeBron world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Hours after losing to eventual NBA champion New York in the Eastern Conference finals, Cavs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":855214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[425338,64,63,590,425339,425340,85],"class_list":["post-855213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-_27i0674","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-quicken-loans-arena","tag-quicken-loans-arena_27i0674","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}