It's corny, but it is true: to be the best, you have to beat the best. The Cleveland Cavaliers will have their first opportunity to do just that on Jan. 19 when they take on the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA released the full schedule for the 2025-26 season on Thursday. There are a number of marquee dates that Cavaliers fans will be circling on the calendar.
Apart from their meeting against LeBron James in Cleveland, no regular-season matchup will quite hold the same gravity, or have the same allure than the first date against the Thunder.