Overview

• The NBA will open the 2025–26 season on Oct. 22 with the Knicks hosting the Cavaliers in a nationally televised ESPN game marking Mike Brown’s coaching debut in New York.
• New York and Cleveland are set to renew their rivalry with a Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 25, the only Eastern Conference matchup scheduled for the holiday.
• Secondary-market platforms such as StubHub and Vivid Seats list Christmas Day tickets starting at roughly $500 each, reflecting strong demand for the Garden showdown.
• Last season the Cavaliers finished with a league-leading 64–18 record and swept the four head-to-head games against the Knicks, who advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with 51 wins.
• Both franchises return core stars—including Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland for Cleveland and Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges for New York—as they vie for Eastern Conference supremacy.