Five Can't-Miss Knicks Games This Season

With several holiday landmarks previously unveiled, the path for the New York Knicks' most hopeful quest in quite some time has officially been paved.

Thursday saw the full release of the 2025-26 NBA schedule, which provided destinations for the Knicks and their 29 Association adversaries. All but two dates on the schedule officially have a name in them, with the outliers determined by what transpires in NBA Cup group play.

With All-Star Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns back for another go at it, the Knicks have one of the most intriguing ledgers, as they'll seek to return to the NBA's final four — if not beyond — after reaching such a landmark for the first time in 25 years last season.

With that in mind, some matchups on the road back loom larger than their contemporaries:

Donovan Mitchell, Josh Hart — Apr 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks to New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

October 22: Cleveland

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The modern Eastern Conference is in an intriguing hoops habitat: injuries and cost-cutting have placed modern contenders like Boston and Indiana in transactional binds. Milwaukee still has Giannis Antetokounmpo, but only he knows for how long. Detroit put on a show last year yet it still feels like they're not ready for prime time. Finally, Atlanta and Orlando tried to take advantage of the power vacuum with big swings, but Kristaps Porzingis and Desmond Bane, while flashy additions, probably aren't the proverbial "one move away" from true contention.

That leaves the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, who appear to be the subject of Association's adversarial affections: it still feels like the Knicks got the better end of the Donovan Mitchell transaction, as Cleveland still hasn't reached the conference finals round with the New York native in tow. The Knicks, of course, added to that misery, stifling Mitchell momentum with a five-game victory over the Cavs in the opening round of the 2023 postseason. Only adding to the newfound lack of pleasantries is the fact that the Knicks just hired Mike Brown, one of the winningest coaches in Cleveland history, to lead their own title charge.

Cleveland rocked last year with a 64-win showcase (including four fairly emphatic triumphs over the Knicks) but injuries led to their demise at the hands of the Pacers. With a conference final clash failing to materialize last season, the NBA gave the two sides high-profile stagings this time around: Madison Square Garden will host the Cavs on both opening night and Dec. 25, the latter being the highly-sought after Christmas Day spot.

Medical woes notwithstanding, the Knicks and Cavs bring back almost the same rosters from last year with some intriguing backup backcourt additions: the Knicks, of course, earned Jordan Clarkson on a savvy deal while the Cavs traded for Lonzo Ball. No championship is won on opening day, but the Knicks can set a strong early tone under a new boss while making an emphatic declaration that they truly belong in the East's penthouse.

Knicks Bucks — Nov 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

November 28: Milwaukee

No one's making a Hall of Fame case based on NBA Cup stats, but the Knicks have had some uncanny success in the in-season tournament: entering the third edition, New York is one of two squads to reach the knockout portion in each of the first two showings. The other is the Milwaukee Bucks, who are stationed with the Knicks in East Group C after obtaining in-season glory last time around.

The NBA and its new television partner Amazon obviously saw the value in the matchup, placing it on Black Friday, the final staging of Cup pool play. With the group also featuring rebuilding efforts in Charlotte, Chicago, and Miami, the Knicks and Bucks are the obvious favorites to play for a trip t Vegas.

New York also frequently spins the aforementioned Antetokounmpo rumor mill, though it appears the Greek Freak will remain stationed in Milwaukee for the time being. Even with Damian Lillard gone, the Bucks are in a relatively sweet spot in the changing Eastern landscape, having brought back several familiar faces from last year's group (i.e. Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., and former Knicks Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims) and even brought in recurring Knicks playoff foe Myles Turner from Indiana.

When you've gone so long without a championship — or even a mere NBA Finals appearance — any opportunity for a banner, no matter how frivolous it may be, is a welcome one. Standing in the NBA Cup's elite portions could also serve as a sufficient throat-clearing gesture for the Knicks: say what one will about the in-season tournament's usefulness, but the last two postseason victors have at least made it to the early bracket.

Jan 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts in front of New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

December 27: Atlanta

Knicks fans can perhaps appreciate the fact that the NBA is trying to make a rivalry with the Cavs happen, if only because it takes the spotlight off the endless attempts to stoke hate with the Hawks.

The Knicks' propensity to draw controversy and clicks — especially when it comes to dour showings on MSG's iconic hardwood — has caused many to speak of Trae Young's 2021 playoff performance in revered hushed tones to this day. Atlanta has done little to capitalize on that magic run, as they have not won a playoff series in any of the last four tours.

Fleeting euphoria, however, emerged last season when they took down New York in the quarterfinal round of the NBA Cup's knockout tournament, a victory capped off by Young rolling invisible dice on MSG's midcourt Knicks emblem to signify a trip to Las Vegas' semis (where they were promptly defeated by eventual champion Milwaukee).

After another Play-In Tournament ousting, the Hawks took a few swings by adding both Porzingis and Nickeil Alexander-Walker via trades. They'll join Young, who continues to stand as the franchise face, as well as rising talents like Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher.

It's pretty silly that the Knicks are still trying to bust the ghosts of 2021 (especially considering Young's not-so-sterling all-time record against the Knicks) but booting the Hawks out of the conference penthouse in rare period where both teams resemble legitimate contenders would be a pretty emphatic blow to the tongue-in-cheek historians. If they're truly serious about clipping the Hawks, Christmas comes just a little late for the Knicks: following a Nativity knockdown with the Cavs, the Knicks face Atlanta twice amidst the relative doldrums of the post-holiday euphoria. They'll be in the Peach State when the calendar flips on Jan. 2.

Nov 20, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant looks on from the sidelines during the game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

February 21: Houston

Thirty-two years later, some early prognosticators believe that the world could be on a collision course for a rematch of the epic 1994 Finals between the Knicks and Houston Rockets.

Houston, home of a rising squad that got outclassed in the opening round by a battle-tested, championship-winning Golden State Warriors group, opted for liftoff this offseason, freeing Kevin Durant from Phoenix-based bondage to go for it all this time around. Like many modern legends before him, Durant frequently appeared on Knick rumor pages, but now Houston will host his latest attempt at another title.

For the bluster that usually accompanies Knicks offseasons, this one was fairly quiet this time around. Sure, Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele are welcome additions to a group that finished dead-last in bench scoring, but those type of acquisitions aren't exactly opening the sleepy July editions of "SportsCenter." Will standing pat or swinging for the fences prove to be the right strategy? This inter-confernece showdown could providing some exciting insight.

Knicks Thunder — Jan 3, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) celebrates with forward Jalen Williams (8) after Jalen dunks against the New York Knicks during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

March 4: Oklahoma City

By now, the Knicks' Eastern mettle is mostly established. They finally broke through the NBA's final four ceiling and took down the defending champions in the process. Bringing back (mostly) the same team from last season only puts them in a greater spot to, again, take advantage of a changing conference landscape.

The Knicks' potential reward for surviving the Eastern gauntlet is a chance to take down the Oklahoma City Thunder, fresh off their own championship run headlined by newly-minted MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC is headlined by the talents of Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, but it's even more personal for the Knicks: while both sides had little choice but to part ways over the offseason, the Knicks are no doubt smarting over Isaiah Hartenstein immediately winning a championship after leaving Manhattan.

The future champions likewise had their way with the Knicks, decisively sweeping the annual inter-conference couple last time around. Beating the champs to be the champs sounds cliche, but the Knicks have placed themselves in an admirable spot where their most pressing problems carry simple, attainable solutions. All that's left to do is to take advantage.

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