CLEVELAND — With the Cavaliers gaining NBA playoff experience last year and adding more of it through offseason transactions, veteran forward Georges Niang would like to think they are capable of schooling the Orlando Magic on what the postseason is all about.
The Cavs learned Sunday they will face the Magic in the first round beginning next weekend. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will be held Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland . The time for tipoff will be announced later.
"Playoff experience is real, right?" Niang said. "These guys [in the Cavs locker room] last year got to have a taste of that and what playoff intensity looks like, playoff preparation. And we're going up against a team that obviously has young, hungry guys that are going to play hard every single night. They've been doing that, but we're going to have to show them what playoff basketball is."
The Cavs finished the regular season with a record of 48-34 after taking their foot off the gas late in a 120-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. The Cavs have the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in Round 1. The fifth-seeded Magic went 47-35 and beat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-88 on Sunday.
The winner of the Cavs-Magic series will advance to face whichever team prevails between the top-seeded Boston Celtics (64-18) and the eventual eighth seed. The No. 8 spot will be determined by the NBA Play-In Tournament, which includes the Philadelphia 76ers (47-35), Miami Heat (46-36), Chicago Bulls (39-43) and Atlanta Hawks (36-46) in the East and runs Tuesday through Friday.
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In the 2023-24 regular season, the Cavs and Magic played each other four times. Each team won twice.
"They're a young team," Cavs center Jarrett Allen said. "They're going to be fighting for a lot. I think we just have to go in with the mentality that we have to throw the first punch."
Niang noted he heard what Allen said about striking first.
"That's what you're looking to do in any type of fight because that's what playoff basketball is," Niang added. "It's a seven-game series, and it's a fight."
The Cavs will be in the playoffs for the second year in a row. They went 51-31 during the 2022-23 regular season to earn the fourth seed in the East and return to the postseason for the first time since 2018. However, Cleveland squandered home-court advantage and suffered a 4-1 first-round series loss to the fifth-seeded New York Knicks .
Last offseason, the Cavs added Niang and starting small forward Max Strus to space the floor with their shooting. They also picked up center Tristan Thompson and forward Marcus Morris Sr. to boost their toughness. All four players have extensive playoff resumes. Thompson won the 2016 NBA title with the Cavs. Strus made the 2023 Finals with the Heat.
"[We're] very ready," Morris said. "But we've got a week to kind of prepare, see what we've got, get in that mindset, get everybody dialed in."
When the Magic clash with the Cavs, it will be Orlando's first playoff appearance since 2020.
"Good, young team," Morris said. "Plays really hard. It's going to be a battle.
"I don't duck no smoke. I want whatever — whatever comes my way. We ain't ducking. We ain't ducking that."
Strus didn't talk as tough. He said the Magic are a determined team, so the Cavs must be prepared to match Orlando's physical style.
"The playoffs are a different beast," Strus said. "We better be ready to compete. It's going to be tough. Any series is tough in the playoffs."
Resting and recovering this week will likely be crucial for the Cavs, who have endured a bevy of injuries this season.
Of course, they are led by All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds during the regular season. Mitchell (left knee bone bruise) sat out Sunday along with starting point guard Darius Garland (back contusion) and sixth man Caris LeVert (knee soreness). All three of them played vital roles in Friday's playoff-clinching 129-120 win over the Indiana Pacers .
Reserve shooting guard Sam Merrill (neck strain) missed his third consecutive game Sunday, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the Cavs are "hopeful" he'll be ready for Game 1.
Backup forward Dean Wade (sprained knee) missed his 19th game in a row, and Bickerstaff said he still didn't know whether Wade would be available for the playoffs.
The Magic are led by All-Star forward Paolo Banchero , who averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the regular season.
At 21 years, 154 days old, Banchero became the youngest player in NBA history to lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists in a single season. In four games against the Cavs this season, Banchero scored 42, 20, 18 and 12 points.
Five other Magic players averaged double figures in scoring in the regular season: forward Franz Wagner (19.7), guard Jalen Suggs (12.6), guard Cole Anthony (11.6), center/forward Wendell Carter Jr. (11) and forward/center Moritz Wagner (10.9).
"They're big," Bickerstaff said. "Obviously, they got great positional size all over the floor. They got individuals who can create their own shot, put a ton of pressure on you, and they're really sound defensively. If you allow them to play in the half court, they use their size defensively to keep everybody in front, crowd the paint and make it difficult."
The Cavs discovered a year ago how hard life in the playoffs can be. They'll soon show everyone whether the lesson paid off.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs and Magic will meet in NBA playoffs first round
