The wait is nearly over. Cleveland Cavaliers basketball will be back in our lives for at least the next five months after Wednesday’s opener. Cleveland begins their campaign against the New York Knicks
in what could be an early Eastern Conference Finals preview.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
Where: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
When: Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7:00pm EST
TV: ESPN, Watch ESPN App
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Pregame coverage for the season opener begins at 6 PM. The Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal will be making their ESPN debut as they will lead into the action. The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks will be the second half of ESPN’s doubleheader.
This will be one of three times the Cavs will take on the Knicks this season. The other game at Madison Square Garden will be during Christmas. The Cavs will host the Knicks for their one regular-season visit to Cleveland on Feb. 24.
The Cavaliers swept the Knicks in the regular season last year, winning all four contests. New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, where they fell to the Indiana Pacers.
Both teams will be returning their same core groups from last year. Cleveland added Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr, and Thomas Bryant while losing Ty Jerome and Isaac Okoro. Meanwhile, New York replaced head coach Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown. They also added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to their rotation.
You don’t want to make too much of an opening night matchup. At the same time, there aren’t many matchups between what are expected to be the two best teams in the conference. This could be a good measuring stick game to see where both teams stand heading into the season.
