CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After ไcompleting the greatest comeback in Game 7 history, the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavs finally finished off the ꦗfifth-seeded Orlando Magic and punched their ticket into the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, securing a matchup with the top-seeded Boston Celtics. .
Games 1, 2 and -- if necessary -- 5 an🍌d 7 will be played in Boston. Games 3, 4 and -- if necessary -- 6 will be played in Cleveland.
Tickets are available online from many large third-party websites. As of the morning of May 6, I found the lowest overall price of for Gamℱe 4 in Cleveland. There is also a . The lowest price for Game 1 in Boston is .
Here’s the Cavs-Celtics Eastern Conference semifinal schedule and how to get tickets to each game.
Game 1: Tuesday, May 7, 7 p.m., TNT | Boston, Mass.
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Game 2: Thursday, May 9, 7 p.m., ESPN | Boston, Mass.
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Game 3: Satꦰurday, May 11, 8:30 p.m., ABC | Cleveland, Ohio
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Game 4: Monday, May 13, 7 p.m., ESPN | Cleveland, Ohio
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Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, May 15, TBD time and TV | Bostonജ, Mass.
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Game 6 (if neccesary): Friday, May 17, TBD time and TV | Cleveland, Ohio
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Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 19, TBD time and TV | Boston, Mass.
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Who won the Cavs-Celtics regular season series?
The Celtics won two of the three meetings this season against the Cavs by a combined 16 points. In the third meeting on March 5, Boston relinquished a 22-point fourth quarter lead, setting up a historic comeback for the Cavs.
A snapshot of the Cavs-Celtics matchup
The top-seeded Celtics had the best record in the NBA regular season at 64-18 and posted a 37-4 record at home. They tout superstar Jayson Tatum and All-Star Jaylen Brown. Boston won a𝓡ll bu𓆉t one of their playoff games by an average of 22 points thus far, disposing of the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat in five games.
Th🦄e Celtics will likely be without power forw༒ard Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a calf injury in the first-round series with Heat.
The Cavs will have their hands full in all aspects in this matchup, but they will🧜 also have their chances. All three meetings this season were within five points in the closing minutes. Cleveland led Boston by as many as 15 in the first meeting before the Celtics came sto⛄rming back. The Cavs’ 3-point shooting, which was kept in chains against Orlando, will be an X-factor to prolonging their next series.
In three games against the Celtics, the Cavs were 50 of🦹 120 (41.6%) from beyond the arc. The Celtics were 46 of 118 (38.9%) in the s💝eason series. Boston was the second-highest scoring team in the regular season at 120.6 points per game.
The Cavs averaged just over a point per po🦹ssession in the Orlando series, the second worst efficiency in the playoffs. Boston’s defense is even more of a mucky challenge with multiple lockdown defenders andꦍ veterans that live for the depths of the postseason.
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland’s precision -- as well as Jarrett Allen’s health -- will als🅷o be underlying factors in the juicy semifinal. A whirlwind of emotion was released in Game 7. How will Garland fair under even brighter lights?
Unlike the Orlando series, this one will likely be in the 105-115 range. Cleveland’s chances star🗹t with stealing one of the first two at TD Garden.
A look back at Cavs’ historic Game 7
A rally for the ages on one 🐻of the grandest stages in the sport this past Sunda🌊y.
The Cavs overcam🌸e an 18-point deficit in the second q𝐆uarter of Game 7 to stun the Orlando Magic and silence the mouthy foe for good. It’s the 👍largest Game 7 deficit to be reversed since the initiation of the play-🥀by-play era (1997-98).
Mitchell again gutted out a sore left knee to pour in 39 poin𒁃ts, nine rebounds and five assists, including 15 of 17 from the free throw line. He totaled 201 points 🦩in the series, joining LeBron James as the only Cavs players to score 200 or more points in a playoff series.
Caris LeVert added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench, helping the Cavs (23) outscore the Magic reserves (21) fo🍷r the first time in the series. Garland and Max Strus gutted out a combined 25 points.
While his offense remains a sore subject, Evan Mobley’s defensive presence was again amplified in the moment, recording his second straight game with five blocks while hauling in 16 reb༺ounds and 11 points. Cleveland was without Allen (bruised ribs) for the third straight game.
After an atrocious start buried them early, the Cavs served up a 47-21 avalanche in the second and third quarter as Orlando reverted back to their haunting shooting woes from earlier in the series. The Magic were a dreadful 4 of 24 (17%) from the field in the▨ third quarter. Cleveland outscored them 33-15 in that frame.
The Cavs won the paint battle, 50-28. They also 🎀🍰sizzled in the fastbreak with a 17-11 advantage.
A star was born as Magic second-year power forward Paolo Banchero again flashed his brilliance, finishing with 38 points and 16 rebounds, including 15 of 18 from the free 🌃throw line. Key offens🧸ive scorer Franz Wagner was held to a series low six points, six assists and six rebounds on just 1 of 15 shooting.
After escaping the first round, a hierarchy switch has been flipped. The pressure that was bearing down on the Cavs is lifted. They begin a series wiꦰth new life and a renewed purpose of shocking the NBA world.
Below is part of a look at how Mitchell 𒅌upl♎ifted his teammates in the pressure-packed Game 7 from Cavs beat writer Chris Fedor:
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Isaac Okoro pulled down an offensive rebound and took one dribble before passing to teammate Donov💟an Mitchell. The star of the game, Mit🦩chell attacked Orlando’s interior as Darius Garland shuffled toward the corner, the same corner where he had just a missed a wide-open 3-pointer that would’ve given the Cavs a comfortable double-digit lead around the midway point of the fourth quarter.
With a💛 trio of Magic defenders converging on Mitchell near the rim, he trampolined off the court, hung in the air and had an opening to spin in one of his patented acrobatic layups, the same vꦫariety that helped ignite his 50-point eruption in Game 6.
Only Mitchell didn’t whir🎀l the ball ꦬof the glass this time. He snapped it to Garland.
Swish.
The sellout crowd frothed. Garland bounced and held his follow-through ✱before an animated fist-pump that expelled nearly four quarters of rage and frustration. Orlando called timeout.
As players started to walk the other way, Mitchell turned and waited. ♋He knew what that moment meant. For Garland. For the Cavs. For the 🐽next round. He wanted to share it with him.
It’s why Mitchell, who scored the team’s final 22 points in the Game 6 loss the other night, bypassed a layup attempt he easily could’ve made. There’s always a bigger picture in play. A basketball savant who prides himself on an unquantifiable ability to empower and uplift teammates, Mitchell knew how much Garland needed that moment. H💮o♚w much the franchise needed Garland to have that moment.
It wasn’t just wo🎃rth three points. It wasn’t the typic𝓰al timeout-inducing bucket.
If the Cavs are going to make a deep postseason run and continue to evolve as a team, Mitchell can’t do it all by him꧅self — something he spoke about at the start of the postseason, a reality that became more evident Friday night in Orlando, whenꦜ his third career 50-point playoff masterpiece wasn’t enough.
Every superhero needs a sidekick.
.