The Cleveland Cavaliers kick off their schedule in the inaugural in-season tournament when they face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on November 3. After that, the Cavs will scrap and claw with the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks. Until Tuesday, November 28, each team will play four designated Group Play games on “Tournament Nights” – one against each opponent in its group, with two games at home and two on the road.

Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds: the team with the best standing in Group Play games in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group).

The Knockout Rounds will be single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (played in NBA team markets on Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals and Championship. The qualifying teams will compete for a prize pool and the new In-Season Tournament trophy, the NBA Cup.

It can be a lot to take in all at once. But thankfully, we've got you covered on who the Cavs will face and when and when the in this new format for the NBA season.

In-Season Tournament Dates, Opponents and Scouting Report

  •  Indiana Pacers
    • Friday, November 3
    • 7:00 p.m. EST
    • Gainbridge FieldHouse
      • The first of two Central Division teams in Cleveland’s group. The Cavs went 3-1 against the Pacers last season, dropping the only game of the set right before the New Year. The average margin of victory was nearly 12 points in the three wins. But, after losing to the Pacers during preseason and the regular season this year, Cleveland will be looking for revenge.
  • Detroit Pistons
    • Friday, November 17
    • 7:30 P.M. EST
    • Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
      • Cleveland swept Detroit in 2022-23, taking all four over the Pistons. Three of the four wins were by double-figures, and Evan Mobley blocked eight shots in the first meeting of the season. Detroit isn't great this year, but they are a bigger team, so it should be a bit of bully ball for Mobley and company.
  • Philadelphia 76ers
    • Tuesday, November 21
    • 7:30 P.M. EST
    • Wells Fargo Center
      • In three games played against Philly last season, the Cavs went 1-2, splitting two games in Cleveland and dropping the lone contest at Wells Fargo Center. The Cavs won by 28 and dropped the other two games by single digits. This will be the only NBA In-Season Tournament game on TNT, the only game Cleveland will play on national TV. Maybe James Harden will be there.
  • Atlanta Hawks
    • Tuesday, November 28
    • 7:30 P.M. EST
    • Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
      • The Cavs went 1-2 against the Hawks last season, winning at home and dropping both games in Atlanta, including the second game after the All-Star Break. Darius Garland scored 33 in February’s meeting and Donovan Mitchell scored 44 in March.

Hot Takes & Shot Fakes

Group A is the hardest road

Between Cleveland, Philadelphia and Atlanta, all three teams will be in a constant dogfight, jockeying for better positioning in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Indiana is no slouch either, especially after they manhandled the Cavs this season. None of those teams want to land in the Play-In Tournament at the end of the season and will do whatever it takes to avoid juggernauts like the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics for as long as possible.

All three teams will show up to play during the Group Stage of the In-Season Tournament. For fans, it'll be high-energy, highly entertaining hoops and could set the tone for how exciting the inaugural run of this new format can be. For the teams, meanwhile, it could be a way to scout these opponents for the remainder of the regular season or if they were to run into each other come playoff time.

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland will be Cleveland's MVP

Everyone knows that Donovan Mitchell can explode on offense – ask the Chicago Bulls how it felt when Mitchell hung 71 on them. But Mitchell won't be the Cavs' MVP for the inaugural In-Season Tournament. Instead, it'll be Darius Garland who, like Mitchell, can explode on offense at any time.

But Garland's consistency and control of the in-game offensive flow will allow Garland to supersede Mitchell in the MVP conversation. Garland is already primed to become Cleveland's best player this season. A strong In-Season Tournament run will on f urther solidify that take.

The Cavs will come up just short winning it all

When the Group Stage portion is concluded, here's where thing will likely stand:

  • Eastern Conference
    • Cleveland Cavaliers
    • Milwaukee Bucks
    • Boston Celtics
    • New York Knicks (Wild Card)
  • Western Conference
    • Phoenix Suns
    • Denver Nuggets
    • Oklahoma City Thunder
    • Minnesota Timberwolves (Wild Card)

That leaves the following matchups for the single-elimination quarterfinals in Las Vegas:

  • Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
    • New York wins.
  • Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets
    • Denver wins.
  • Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
    • Minnesota wins.
  • Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
    • The Cavs will have a tough outing against the Bucks, but if Darius Garland is playing at an MVP level, he should be able to shred Damian Lillard's putrid defense. Unfortunately, Garland isn't as the Bucks also have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the best player in the world.

Cleveland gets eliminated in the quarterfinals and here's how the rest of the tournament goes:

  • Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks
    • New York wins.
  • Minesotta Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets
    • Minnesota wins.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks
    • Minnesota wins the NBA's first In-Season Tournament.