Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule Breakdown and Preview

It’s cruel how tough NBA schedule makers can be on teams at the beginning of a season. For some teams, it’s smooth sailing all year because they are one of the better teams.

But for certain others, the opponents they play turn out to be indicative. For the Cavaliers, things are going to be a bit tough.

Let’s take a look at their schedule, as 2021-22 is right around the corner.

No National TV Games

The Cavaliers will play on NBA TV four times, which is great. But there is also an issue within that. The fact is they will not be on ESPN, TNT, or ABC a single time. Not once. Even with how they lit up the Nets a year ago during the big three debut, among other things.

Cleveland didn’t make any “major” offseason moves, but this is very telling. It appears that the league cares not for Collin Sexton, as the media continues to throw slander on his name for no particular reason.

The one chance Cleveland has for a game on national TV is the All-Star Game, which will be played at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. If Sexton gets in, that would be his lone national TV opportunity.

Early West Coast Trip

The scheduling committee was very tough on the Cavs. After opening the year with games against Memphis and Atlanta, they head west for a four-game road trip. They play both Los Angeles teams and also Denver and Phoenix. As if things couldn’t be tougher.

There are a lot of young guys on the Cavs, and it seems a 3-0 start this year may very well be out the window for them. Most teams from the East Coast play the Lakers and Clippers whenever they head out there, but this is just cruel. But maybe the team could prove the league wrong and come out at .500 or better in the early West swing.

They don’t have another road game against a team in the West for nearly a month after that, as they’ll play the Mavericks on November 29.

Nets Games

When the Cavs beat the Nets last January twice, they put the league on notice. Unfortunately, it didn’t last as the rest of the year didn’t go nearly as well. Still, though, they made a splash. Enough for their meeting to be on NBA TV this time.

On November 17, they will head to Brooklyn and might even get booed. Sexton got ejected during the regular-season finale for throwing an incidental elbow that caught KD in his nose. But now, he should be ready to deliver another big performance.

Brooklyn was unable to win the title last year as injuries, and large sneakers played a part in ending their year early. They signed Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge this week. They made a few other moves too, and look poised to be dominant. But it all comes down to whether or not they can slow down No. 2.

And just five days later, the teams will meet again in Cleveland. The teams will also get together on January 17 and April 8.