Throughout the 2024-25 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have remained the best team in basketball. However, despite their status as the cream of the crop, the Cavs have remained under the radar. Before Cleveland hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder, shown nationally on ESPN, the Cavs had only appeared on the worldwide leader once, when the team hosted the Orlando Magic. Otherwise, one of Cleveland's NBA Cup matchups against the Boston Celtics was on TNT.

So, although the Cavs continually make NBA history, no one notices nationally. It's something Cleveland's players have noticed and, without getting fined, let their frustrations over the national spotlight snub known.

“How do I say this,” Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell said. “It’s interesting. I feel like we are a talented group, and I think there are a lot of guys in our group who feel like it should have been a while ago.

“I don’t care anymore because, at the end of the day, you’ve just got to prove yourself when it matters. We’ve had that conversation a thousand times. I make the joke about everybody being here, but this is just what comes with it. I don’t really look at it like, ‘Oh, we’re finally being talked about or yay, we are on ESPN or whatever.’ Early in my career, I definitely felt that. But I think now it’s more like whether y’all are here or not, we’ve still got work to do, and we’ve still got to prove ourselves. We haven’t won anything.”

To Mitchell's credit, regular-season success doesn't mean anything. The Cavs don't want to be like the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts. Instead, they want to play for more. They want to play for championships. Thankfully, against Oklahoma City, Mitchell and Cleveland have a chance to make a statement to the nation.

The Cavs can earn their stripes in an NBA Finals preview against the Thunder

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the first quarter at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

“You get the respect in the playoffs,” Mitchell explained. “That’s the only reason why I became who I was. People realized who I was because of what I did my first year in the playoffs and what I’ve done throughout my career as an individual. But now it’s like, as a collective, for us to get the team's attention, you have to win at a high level.

“It should be a high-intensity game, but ultimately, it’s just another test. No championships are won today, but I think there’s a lot we can learn about ourselves throughout these processes that we’re going through.”

This matchup between the Cavs and the Thunder can break the NBA. It is also the first inter-conference game in NBA history between teams with a winning percentage of .850 or higher this late into a season. Cleveland and Oklahoma City winning 30 of their first 35 games marks just the second time in NBA history that two teams have done so.

“I feel like this is a big game to make a statement. Everyone’s going to be ready for that,” Cavs big man Evan Mobley said. “It feels good to finally get some national coverage. It’s going to be a big game for us. But at the same time, try not to focus on that aspect. Just focus on the basketball side and all the assignments we’ve got to do to get this win.”

It's hard to ignore that the Cavs and Thunder are both small-market juggernauts. Winning has become the norm for either team. The winner will likely be the king of the NBA and become nearly impossible to dethrone. For basketball fans, it's a dream come true. Thankfully, the NBA and national broadcasters are starting to feel the same.