Faced with a brutal Eastern Conference gauntlet, the Cleveland Cavaliers must overcome star-studded rosters to make it to the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup.
The NBA Cup hasn't been too kind to the Cleveland Cavaliers since its inception three years ago, and this season's version may bring the toughest test yet for the Wine and Gold.
One week ago, the NBA Cup Group Play schedule was announced before the full season's officially became public, and it revealed that the Cleveland Cavaliers have quite a gauntlet to get through if they want to win the in-season tournament championship in mid-December.
The Cavs found out on the last day of June that they will be in Eastern Conference Group B, facing off with the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, and the title-defending New York Knicks.
Cleveland will host LeBron James and the Sixers on Friday, Nov. 6 to tip off the event, then travel to South Beach to take on the new-look Heat a week later on Nov. 13. For the third straight Friday, the Cavs will welcome the Pacers on Nov. 20, followed by a trip to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 25 against the Knicks to finish the group stage.
If the Cavs make it to the knockout rounds, play will commence on Dec. 4 and the championship will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 11 to crown a winner.
In the latest episode of Courtside with Cavs, Spencer German and I shared our thoughts on Cleveland's grouping and how much more competitive the East has gotten:
What a cast of teams in that thing, man. You can hear 'Pacers' and be like, 'Ah, they weren't that good last year.' Well, that's because they didn't have Tyrese Haliburton. Now, you have Ivica Zubac alongside him, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and all that talent. That's a tough team.
The East is not getting any easier. Your prediction before the season starts could look really silly by the end of April...
Philly looks different and more dangerous with James and Jaylen Brown, Miami added Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster, and New York is trying to repeat two-fold.
Don't forget that last year's version of the NBA Cup was an NBA Finals preview, as the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 on Dec. 16, 2025 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
History repeated itself just six months later when New York lifted the Larry O'Brien trophy in celebration, toppling the Spurs in four out of five games to bring a championship to the Big Apple.
The Cavs have not made it out of the group stage in their three seasons of participation in the NBA Cup. Time will tell if they can break through in 2026-27.
