Cleveland, tonight is a night I have had circled on the Cavaliers’ schedule since the team started the 2024-25 season as hot as they did. Tonight, on national TV the white-hot Cleveland Cavaliers face the equally as hot Oklahoma City Thunder in what is being built up as one of the most anticipated match-ups of the NBA regular season. Two young, small-market teams who don’t get the national media attention they deserve compared to teams like the Lakers and the Knicks are finally getting the chance to show the nation why they are simply the best two teams in the league today. As a Cavaliers writer and fan I cannot wait for this game, and today I will break down key talking points and what I look forward to seeing from this Cavaliers roster when they take the national center stage tonight.

Both Teams Record

The Cavaliers and Thunder have the two best records in the NBA, the Cavs are 34-4 and are on a 10-game win streak. The Thunder, however, are 30-5 with a franchise-high 15-game win streak. This will surely be the main talking point from the ESPN booth as both teams are the best in the NBA and the hottest teams streak-wise in the NBA right now. The Cavaliers are just 2.5-point favorites with this game taking place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland Ohio.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Donovan Mitchell

The two star guards of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell will surely be the highlighted match-up that the broadcast will focus on tonight. Shai is the leading scorer for the Thunder, averaging 31.3 points in 34.5 minutes. Mitchell is the leading scorer for the Cavs averaging 23.3 points in just 31.3 minutes. Both players are the faces of their team, but don’t be surprised if Shai outperforms Donovan, the Cavaliers play a unique unselfish brand of basketball where Donovan could be the leading score, or a role player like Ty Jerome could be, make no mistake the Cavs will lean into who is the hot hand regardless of who it is.

Chet Holmgren injury

There will be no doubt that if the Cavaliers win the game tonight, media pundits and fans will try and put an asterisk on this game for the Cavaliers due to the Thunder’s star center, Chet Holmgren being out with an iliac fracture. The Thunder are still playing lights out despite losing Chet, and a Cavaliers win in this national matchup should confirm what Cleveland fans have known for weeks. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a legit NBA title contender, that the entire league should fear.

The stage is set, the NBA’s best will face off on national TV and finally get the coverage both teams deserve. Will it be the Cleveland Cavaliers who have shocked the NBA world with how good they are under new head coach Kenny Atkinson’s tutelage? Or will it be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the young star, and runner-up for MVP  just a season ago with his young team and despite injuries, plenty of depth? The world is watching and I for one, cannot wait until 7p EST tonight on ESPN.