The NBA has started rolling out game slates for some of its marquee days on the 2025-26 regular season schedule, and it is overwhelmingly clear from the chosen matchups so far that the league doesn’t ascribe much value to Eastern Conference teams.
Unless they’re the New York Knicks. Or Cleveland Cavaliers.
The NBA schedule so far speaks volumes…
Look no further than the October 21 opening-night slate as proof. Not only didn’t the Knicks make the cut, but there is no team from the East on the docket. Festivities will begin with a showdown between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by a matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. This is the third time we’ve gotten an East-free opening night since 2016, according to Dan Feldman of Dunc’d On Prime.
Now, the following day, the Knicks will square off against the Cavaliers in one of two national TV matchups. The other is between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. But the anti-East stance continues on Thursday, October 23. Of the four teams playing on national TV, just one hails from the Eastern Conference (Indiana Pacers).
This Knicks-Cavs-or-nothing stance endures into the Association’s Christmas Day extravaganza. Among the 10 teams scheduled to play, Cleveland and New York are the East’s only representatives. They will be squaring off against one another, in the 12 p.m. EST slot. The last time at least 80 percent of the December 25 schedule was populated by West teams was 1990, per Feldman.
The pattern changes for MLK Day, on Monday, January 19. Six of the eight teams in action on NBC and Peacock come from the Eastern Conference. You better believe the Knicks and Cavs are two of them.
The Knicks and Cavs are in an East tier all of their own
We can quibble over whether the East deserves more exposure on opening night and Christmas Day. Any one of the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and Milwaukee Bucks can be considered snubs. The same goes for the Philadelphia 76ers…if you think they’ll be fully healthy…which they almost assuredly will not.
Besides, if the NBA had added one or two East teams to opening night, the Knicks would have been a surefire choice. Yes, they play in a flagship market. They’re also really good—the type of reliable, inarguable title contender that remains largely foreign to the Eastern Conference.
Think about it: Who else in the East are you prepared to guarantee will win 50-plus games? There is the Cavs, and then there’s…well, that’s it.
Other teams are no doubt intriguing. They’re also inundated with questions. The Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo, and then a bunch of dudes. And some aren’t even prepared to say they’ll have Giannis himself. The Magic look terrifying on paper, but they’ll be integrating a huge new piece in Desmond Bane, and it’s not yet clear whether they have enough to punch into the top 12 of offense.
Philly is a house of cards. The Hawks are wild cards. Detroit may actually take a step back if it (justifiably) prioritizes the development of Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, and Ron Holland II. The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers will be down their best players.
To be absolutely certain, some of the Eastern Conference criticism misses the mark. It’s not completely barren of competence. But the Knicks and Cavs stand alone—andthe NBA clearly knows it.