2025-26 regular season schedule: A possible NBA Finals preview to be on national TV twice

While nobody truly knows who will square off in the 2026 NBA Finals, the league schedule-makers have a few guesses. It's easy to see who they believe has a realistic chance after the 2025-26 regular season schedule was recently dropped.

One bet are the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers. Both matchups in the 2025-26 regular season will be shown on national television. Even though they had the same expectations for last year's NBA Finals, it looks like the schedule-makers are willing to look past the latter's shortcomings.

The Thunder and Cavaliers battled back and forth for the NBA's best record last season. They were the only teams that won 60-plus games. The Thunder finished higher with a historic 68-14 campaign. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers started to lose steam down the stretch and settled with a 64-18 record.

Both were good enough for their respective conference's first seed. Only the Thunder went to the 2025 NBA Finals and eventually won the championship. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had another disappointing playoff exit. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in a Round 2 playoff series in five games.

That said, both teams should be regular-season win machines again. The Thunder will run it back after one of the greatest seasons the NBA has ever seen. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all signed contract extensions this offseason as they hope to be a rare repeat winner.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have shuffled their rotation, but will bring back the same franchise cornerstones. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley headline their roster. Both had career seasons last year. Meanwhile, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen remain important pieces.

The Thunder will travel to face the Cavaliers on Monday, Jan. 19. The afternoon game is part of the NBA's Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedule. It will be on NBC and Peacock.

A month later, the Thunder will host the Cavaliers on Sunday, Feb. 22. The afternoon game will be shown on ABC. That will be part of the NBA's weekly Sunday afternoon primetime matchups that are usually scheduled after the Super Bowl.

The Thunder and Cavaliers should bring eyeballs. They're two of the best teams. Even if they're small-market teams, last season's dominance should attract viewers with high-quality basketball that could serve as a 2026 NBA Finals preview.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2025-26 regular season: Thunder-Cavaliers games on national TV twice