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2017 NBA Schedule: Cavaliers to face Warriors on Christmas Day for third straight year

Cleveland will also face the Boston Celtics on the opening night of the 2017-18 season.

By Chris Manning
Golden State Warriors v Cleveland Cavaliers Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

For the third straight, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will square off on Christmas Day.

The NBA announced its Christmas Day games on Thursday evening with the Cavs and Warriors slotted in at 3 p.m. on ABC. Last year in Cleveland, the Cavaliers beat the Warriors 109-108 on a game winner from Kyrie Irving. In 2015, when the game was in Oakland, the Warriors won 89-83. This year, the Cavs will be the road team. Here’s the full Christmas Day schedule:

It only makes sense that the Cavs and Warriors will face off on Christmas, as its a rematch of the last three NBA Finals and features a number of the league’s leading players including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and, for now, Irving. Last year’s game was also one the most entertaining games of the entire season, regardless of the teams involved. It’s unknown at this time when the Cavs-Warriors game in Cleveland will take place.

The NBA also announced its national TV schedule for the opening week of the season. Predictably, the Cavs are a marquee part of that as well. On Oct. 17 - the first night of the season this year with the season starting two weeks earlier than last year - Cleveland will face the Boston Celtics in the first game of the season. That game is at 8 p.m. on TNT.

Later that week, on Friday, Oct. 20, the Cavs will travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks. Cavs-Bucks airs at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Here is the full tip-off week national TV schedule:

The Celtics make sense as an opening night opponent. The two tames faced off in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals and Boston added Gordon Hayward this summer. On paper, they are the best two teams in the East.

The Bucks, because they have a young star in Giannis Antetokounmpo and are a division rival, are another logical opening week opponent. And while they are probably not ready to challenge the Cavs this season, they are one of the teams with the potential to do so down the road.

The full NBA schedule will be announced next week.

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