Following their matchup at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Feb. 20, the Cleveland Cavaliers embarked on a challenging four-game stretch against four playoff contenders. Three of these matchups will be playoff rematches—one from 2023 and two from 2024.
It all kicked off on Friday, Feb. 21, at Rocket Arena (formerly Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) in Cleveland, OH, when All-Star guard Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks faced off against star guard Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers. Friday night’s matchup marked the second of a four-game regular season series, with the final two games scheduled for April 2 in Cleveland and April 11 at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York, NY.
New York and Cleveland met in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, where the fifth-seeded Knicks eliminated the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in five games. New York dominated Cleveland physically and controlled the glass throughout the series. That playoff loss has lingered with the Cavs, who were eager to prove their growth since then.
Both teams played on the second night of a back-to-back on Friday. The Cavaliers faced the Nets in Brooklyn, while the Knicks hosted the Chicago Bulls at MSG. Both teams emerged victorious—Cleveland defeated Brooklyn 110-97, while New York edged out Chicago 113-111 in overtime.
At the 10:46 mark of the first quarter, Brunson knocked down a three-pointer to give New York a 5-0 lead. However, it was all Cleveland from that point on. Powered by Mitchell’s 27 points and Evan Mobley’s 21, the Cavaliers dominated the Knicks 142-105 in a highly anticipated matchup between two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.
New York’s largest lead of the game was five points, but Cleveland’s largest lead was an astonishing 42 points! It certainly seems like the Cavs haven’t forgotten what happened in the 2023 playoffs.
Following their battle with New York, Mitchell and the Cavaliers hosted star guard Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Grizzlies were No. 2 in the Western Conference at the time of the game. Sunday’s contest was the first of a two-game regular season series, which will conclude on Friday, March 14, at FedExForum in Memphis, TN.
Last season, the Cavaliers swept the regular season series, narrowly edging out the Grizzlies in Memphis 108-101 on Feb. 1 before prevailing 110-98 on April 10 in Cleveland. However, it was on Feb. 2, 2023, that tempers flared and this rivalry was established. With about 5:50 remaining in the third quarter and the Cavaliers leading 81-76, Dillon Brooks (now with the Houston Rockets) and Mitchell battled for a rebound, which escalated into a full-fledged fight. Both players were ejected—Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2, while Mitchell was tossed for throwing the ball at Brooks.
Despite Mitchell’s ejection, the Cavs still prevailed 128-113. Although Brooks is no longer with the Grizzlies, don’t expect the hostility to dissipate between these two teams.
Vegas and Seattle, which never should have lost the SuperSonics in the first place, are both expected to receive expansion teams in the next few seasons. As a result, a Western Conference team will have to shift to the Eastern Conference to maintain league balance, with the most likely candidate being Ja and the Grizzlies.
After facing the Grizzlies, the Cavaliers hit the road for a tough two-game set against the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Cleveland traveled to the Kia Center in Orlando, FL, for a crucial matchup against another Eastern Conference playoff contender. Led by rising star Paolo Banchero and a strong defensive unit, the Magic has been a tough team to beat this season.
Orlando and Cleveland met in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, where the Cavaliers prevailed in a hard-fought seven-game series. That postseason battle was fresh in both teams' minds, adding an extra layer of intensity to this contest. However, 2024 isn’t the only postseason history these two teams share.
They also met in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. Back in the '09 Conference Finals, Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston, Jameer Nelson, and the Magic eliminated the Cavs in six games to advance to the NBA Finals, where they faced the late, great Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. As such, eliminating the Magic this past season felt like revenge for 2009, when we were robbed of a LeBron vs. Kobe NBA Finals.
Following their 40-point blowout win over Orlando, the Cavaliers prepare for another 2024 playoff re-match when they travel to TD Garden in Boston, MA, to take on the defending champion Boston Celtics. Powered by their dynamic duo—MVP candidate Jayson Tatum and Eastern Conference Finals/NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown—alongside Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White, the Celtics remain one of the top teams in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA.
After defeating the Cavaliers 112-105 in Cleveland on Tuesday, Feb. 5, the Celtics lead the regular season series 2-1. As a result, Friday’s game in Boston will mark the fourth and final game of the regular season series. However, it may not be the last time these two teams meet, as they seem destined for a potential showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers is the best rivalry in the NBA right now! They’ve met six times in the postseason—2008, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2024—with each team winning three series apiece. When Boston won Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals in Cleveland this past season, it marked their first playoff victory in Cleveland since Game 3 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. Furthermore, Boston’s 112-105 victory on Feb. 5 was the Celtics’ first regular-season victory in Cleveland since Nov. 15, 2021.
The Celtics game (Friday, Feb. 28, at 7:00 p.m. ET) will be nationally televised on ESPN.
The Cavaliers currently hold the league’s best record at 48-10, but the Celtics clash will serve as a significant test. With playoff-seeding implications on the line, Cleveland will need to continue proving itself as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.