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One down. *breathes a sigh of relief* It’s only one game but after the bad taste of last year’s playoffs, it was important to come out strong, and play a complete game. It’s also important to note teams that win Game 1 in any series go on to win that series about 75% of the time. More than anything else, the Knicks punched the Cavs first and the Cavs often didn’t know how to punch back. While the Magic are no New York team, they looked to be every bit as physical and relentless. They brought the fight to the Cavs, and the Cavs looked like they were ready for it. Playoff series can either make or break you and after one game, it looks like the New York series made the Cavs in game one. One of the bigger stories heading into game was how...

@The Oi and @RchfldCavRaised jump in the studio to celebrate the end of the regular season and the anticipation of the playoffs starting this weekend while discussing: Guardians are taking care of business to start the season Rch has a movie and record recommendation that will have you "dreaming" while "on your own way" Blowback from the Hornets game ending Play-In game results Deep dive on first round series with Orlando Jig gets a record recommendation from his daughter that will take you back to the turn of the century Call in and shoot your shot with a :24 second take to be part of the next show 216-282-6289 or join the conversation by creating a profile, reading the rules and adding to the best NBA fan forum online at...

Overview: Orlando and Cleveland are similar in that they are excellent defensively and slightly below average offensively. In terms of points per 100 possessions (excluding garbage time) Orlando ranks 22nd in points scored while the Cavs are 6th in points allowed. On the other end of the court, the Cavs are 18th in scoring while Orlando is 2nd in scoring defense. Both teams feature defenses that are much better than the opposing offenses. The Cavaliers and Magic ranked 14th and 15th in effective field goal percentage. Rebounding: Orlando ranks 7th in offensive rebound percentage while the Cavs rank 7th in defensive rebounding percentage, so they are both strong on the glass when Orlando misses a shot. The Magic averaged 10.5...

The playoffs are upon us. So is judgment day. For the Cavs, this team’s pathway is directly correlated to how the playoffs turn out. Disappoint again, and change could be at the doorstep. Exceed expectations, and it could mean Cleveland keeps its superstar. Standing in the Cavs way first is the Orlando Magic. The teams split the season series 2-2. Over the last two seasons in games where Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland played the Cavs are 3-1. Wendell Carter Jr played in two of the four games this season. Jonathan Isaac played in two. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland played in three games. Evan Mobley played in two games and Caris LeVert in one. Of course, Dean Wade played in all four matchups. The Cavs had their full...

After a huge win over Indiana to clinch a playoff spot the Cavs look to improve their seeding in the final regular season game as they host the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are 20-61 overall and 9-31 on the road. However, the Cavs have announced that Mitchell, LeVert, and Merrill are out and Garland is doubtful for this game, so it could be that now that home court advantage has been secured they don’t care who they play in the first round. But after today they won’t play for at least six days so I don’t know why they wouldn’t play everybody who is healthy. LeVert is out due to knee “soreness” and Mitchell to “injury management”. It looks to me like the Cavs don’t care which seed they end up with. If all of them are out then we...

Whew. After Andrew Nembhard missed the final two shots of meaningful Pacers possessions in the fourth quarter, it was a sigh of relief. Whew. With a Cavs win, they prevented a free fall into the play-in game, guaranteed a playoff spot, and even gave themselves a chance at winning the Central Division. Whew. Donovan Mitchell look renewed offensively, was moving around (fairly) well, and had his first 30-point game since February. Whew. It wasn’t all good for the Cavs but it was just good enough at just the right time to give some hope heading into the playoffs. The first four minutes of the game would really be the only time the Pacers were a bit off offensively all night. They started the game with more turnovers (4) than points (3) in...