Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images Isaac’s defense will be an issue for Donovan Mitchell and company. The first-round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will be won by whatever team executes best in the half-court offense. Orlando’s second-rated defense and Jonathan Isaac will make it difficult for Cleveland to do so. The Magic have struggled to score all season. They have the 22nd-ranked offense which has primarily been supplemented by their ability to get to the line and create second-chance points. Wendall Carter Jr. has been the starting center for most of ..read more

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images It’s a two-question week as the playoffs begin. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cleveland Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Two questions this week. First: What will the First Round result be? Here’s the schedule of games if you need it. Cavs in 4 Cavs in 5 Cavs in 6 Cavs in 7 Magic in 4 Magic in 5 Magic in 6 Magic in 7 Second: Do the Cavs need to win in the first round for J.B. Bickerstaff to keep hi ..read more

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images It all begins Saturday. The Cleveland Cavaliers have released the full scheduled for their first round series against the Orlando Magic: ROUND ONE'S SCHEDULE IS HERE. TICKETS: https://t.co/mvZO6CPohz@SeatGeek | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/14TKi7NTIR — Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 17, 2024 That means the schedule is as follows with days of the week added: Game 1: Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m. in Cleveland Game 2: Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in Cleveland Game 3: Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. in Orlando Game 4: Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m. in Orlando Game ..read more

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images Cavs have a chance to prove they have grown. A loss ain’t a loss, it’s a lesson. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, a series against the Orlando Magic is a chance to prove that last season’s beatdown was more than just that. It’s time to find out if they truly learned anything from the New York Knicks. Last season’s collapse can be summarized by three factors. First, how the Knicks trapped Donovan Mitchell and forced other Cavaliers to make plays. Second, how New York dared Darius Garland to beat their drop coverage. And lastly, losing the rebounding ba ..read more

Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images Cleveland vs. Orlando is the first game on playoff weekend. Game 1 between Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will kick off the first full day of the NBA playoffs. After the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday (and locked in a matchup against the Denver Nuggets), the NBA announced the full schedule of games for Saturday. Cavs-Magic tips off at 1 p.m. and airs on ESPN. #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel - schedule update The @Lakers 110-106 victory over the Pelicans earns them the #7 seed in the West. On Friday, the Pel ..read more

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images Merrill’s shooting could prevent the Cavs half-court offense from stalling in the playoffs. The Orlando Magic aren’t the New York Knicks. But they will cause similar problems for the Cleveland Cavaliers and their guards in the half-court offense. Orlando finished with the second-best defense and has the height and physicality to make things difficult. Sam Merrill could help alleviate some of those issues this time around. The Knicks stifled the Cavs pick-and-roll game by bringing two defenders to the level of the screen. This required the guards to give it up ..read more

Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images The first-round will be a battle of similarly constructed teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers did all they could to ensure they stayed in the fourth seed to take on the Orlando Magic in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. This included seemingly throwing the ending of Sunday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs will have home-court advantage in a series that is set to begin Saturday, April 20. The Cavaliers split the four-game regular season series with the Magic this season which included both teams winning one on the road. D ..read more

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images The Cavs lose 120-110 to Hornets in order to avoid a possible first round with the Sixers or Heat. The Cleveland Cavaliers wanted nothing to do with the second seed and taking on either the Philadelphia 76ers or Miami Heat. They did everything in their power to throw the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Hornets to make that happen. Nightly Notables This was a difficult game to make too much of before they threw it in the fourth. The Cavaliers started the game without their backcourt rotation with Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, and Sam Mer ..read more

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images Soon, the Cavs will know who they are facing. The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched a spot in the NBA playoffs for the second straight season. But who they will face in round one is yet to be determined. The final day of the NBA’s regular season is sure to be a good one. Numerous teams are deadlocked in a tight race for seedings in both conferences. As far as the Cavs are concerned, six teams are jockeying for positions that will directly affect them. The New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cavs are still battling for seeds two through four. The Cavs do not ..read more

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images Garland seems confident he’ll be able to deliver a strike. The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to bond over their shared love of baseball. They rented out a suite to watch the Cleveland Guardians home opener on Monday. On Saturday, Darius Garland will throw out the first pitch in the second game of their day-night doubleheader against the New York Yankees. Garland seemed pretty excited about the opportunity when asked about it after the Cavs win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday. “I’ve been here for five years and it’s my first time throwing out a pitch,” Garlan ..read more