Cavaliers Projected to Top East Again After Schedule Reveal
The Cleveland Cavaliers now know their path for the 2025-26 season after the NBA released its full schedule on Thursday. With momentum high and expectations even higher, Cleveland enters the campaign looking to build off its best regular-season finish since 2009 and rebound from last spring’s frustrating second-round exit against the Indiana Pacers.
According to the latest projections from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, the Cavs are expected to post a 57-25 record, a mark strong enough to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for a second straight year. While slightly below last season’s win total, the projection reflects a franchise with a loaded starting lineup and a clear identity as a regular-season powerhouse. “The Cavs should be a regular-season wins machine,” Bailey wrote, citing Cleveland’s quartet of All-Star-level talent in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. With Garland (25) and Mobley (24) still developing, the Cavaliers may not have reached their ceiling just yet.
The competition in the East appears softer than a year ago. Boston and Indiana are retooling, while New York, Orlando, and perhaps Atlanta are expected to provide the most resistance to Cleveland’s throne. Still, with the Cavs retaining their four-man core and sprinkling in a few new rotation pieces, they’re set up for another dominant regular season. If last year was about proving they could win big, this season will be about proving they can deliver when it matters most: the playoffs.
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