Digging into the what's on tap for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2026-27 following last week's official schedule release, there is an abundance of home games to start the campaign. Up until January, the Cavs will have played 18 of their 32 total contests at Rocket Arena. 

After that, they'll be on the road for a whopping 14 of their first 19 games of post-New Year, including three back-to-backs. Following a small homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland will be on a season-long, six-game trip that heads west after a stop in Detroit. That will be from March 9-18.

In the latest episode of Courtside with Cavs, Spencer German and I shared our thoughts on the sudden switch from a home-heavy tilt to being away from Northeast Ohio to start 2027:

They have more road games in the second half and don't have a big road trip until MAC Tournament time comes around, and that's when March piles up all the road games. That's going to be their long, West Coast road trip for six games. If it comes down to a tight race in the standings at the end of the year, those are going to be critical games for them to pick up. It's not going to be easy down the stretch.

We'll see how the health shapes out and what the league looks like the rest of the year. That's why it's hard to predict these things. There's so many different aspects that could go one way or another, in terms of not just the Cavs but the NBA itself. I'm looking at that road trip as one that's going to be pretty important.

Once that roadie concludes, the Cavs will be in their friendly confines for 8 of their last 11 matchups, which might prove advantageous as the East shapes up seeding with things winding down. 

Who they're welcoming to town may have something to say about it, however. Between March 22 and April 11, Cleveland will host the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, and Atlanta Hawks. 

And in those three road games, the Cavs will go to Brooklyn, San Antonio, and Indiana.

Now that James Harden has been signed to a new deal and Peyton Watson is joining the fray, the countdown to Cleveland's season has begun. We'll see how the group measures up in the East.