Orlando Magic actually face rival during NBA's laughed-at Rivalry Week

The NBA schedule is officially out and brings with it the key stories the league wants to tell.

Those opening night games and Christmas Day games set the tone for the teams the league wants to feature. The distribution of national TV games tells a bit more about that, too.

The league also has plenty of ideas to spark interest throughout the season. They work to varying degrees.

The league once again is trying to highlight growing rivalries with its Rivals Week, taking place during the week of Jan. 20. The national TV schedule will feature potential rivalries the league is trying to grow.

And . . . it is not being received well.

A lot of fans are wondering: Where are the actual rivalries? It feels like it is something the NBA is trying to force once again, or something where they are trying to slap a label of a "rivalry week" after the schedule was already laid out.

Look at the games that will air on national TV during this "Rivals Week."

There will be some good games in the bunch.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets have built some history with intriguing playoff series during the last several years, even if they have been incredibly one-sided in the Nuggets' favor. Luka Doncic's return to Dallas to conclude the week is certainly a national television-worthy game.

Otherwise? The league seems obsessed with the brothers matchup with Lonzo Ball leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to Charlotte to face LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson will do battle when the Houston Rockets face the Detroit Pistons.

And an NBA Cup Final rematch (Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder) and NBA Finals rematch (Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder) are fun matchups, but hardly rivalries.

It already seems this rivalry week idea is a flop.

The Orlando Magic would not be able to participate in the rivalry week fun. The week of games takes place after the Magic's trip to Europe to play the Memphis Grizzlies. They do not play until the Thursday of that week against the Charlotte Hornets.

But they do play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 24 at Kia Center. And that is indeed a rivalry worth exploring.

The Cavs could be one of the Magic's key rivals

It is unlikely the Orlando Magic's home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers will get moved to the ABC schedule on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The current schedule will feature such "rivalry" games as the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves and Luka Doncic's return to Dallas when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks for an ABC triple-header.

The Magic and the Cavaliers may not have a rivalry that is quite on the national stage yet. But the seeds of a good rivalry are there. And with the Magic set to take a step up in the conference, this series could get a whole lot spicier.

Orlando and Cleveland, of course, went seven games in the first round of the 2024 Playoffs. The series was as intense as any seven-game series could be.

Moe Wagner started things off by egging on the crowd at Rocket Arena in the first two games (Cleveland put the Michigan logo on the jumbotron when Moe Wagner or Franz Wagner were at the foul line to elicit more boos). Jalen Suggs and Darius Garland got chest to chest in one incident in Game 4. Evan Mobley had a game-saving block in Game 5. And the Magic outlasted the Cavs to win Game 6 and force Game 7.

The final game was even intense with the Magic taking a 17-point lead, only for their offense to betray them and the Cavs to steal the game and advance.

There was a lot of respect between the two teams. But there is history there to build upon. If there is confidence the Magic could make noise in the East, it is that they went toe-to-toe with the Cavs two years ago in a Playoff series and they are both virtually the same teams.

Now that the Magic have acquired Desmond Bane and are expected to compete at the top of the Eastern Conference, the games against the Cavs will have even more weight.

The NBA seems to agree.

The game on Jan. 24 during NBA Rivalry Week is the only game between the Magic and Cavs that will not be on national TV. The Jan. 26 game in Cleveland is on Peacock, the March 11 game in Orlando is on ESPN and the March 24 game in Cleveland is on NBC.

The Magic have plenty of other rivals to explore

Now that the Orlando Magic are competing at a higher level and trying to win the championship at the top of the East, they are going to run into some teams that are going to rub them the wrong way.

The Orlando Magic already have many reasons to compete with the Atlanta Hawks.

They not only played in the Play-In Tournament last year in a hotly contested game, but they were also the most active teams in the East to try to climb the standings. The Magic and Hawks have had some stellar games during the last few years.

The league was intrigued enough to put three of the Magic's games against the Hawks on national TV this year.

The Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons have been the it teams in the league. They both feature young stars who are trying to make their mark in the league. Fans have spent the entire summer debating Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham.

The Magic and Pistons should be competing for a spot near the top of the East this year too.

The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks could also be due for some intense games. They have also had solid games against the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, who will be lying in wait for the future.

The Magic are going to create some new rivalries this year as they try to push their way to the top of the Eastern Conference.

It will not be on rivals week in the NBA. Then again, it does not seem like the NBA knows what a rivalry is.