Knicks face Cavaliers in East

The Cleveland Cavaliers completed the Eastern Conference finals field on Sunday, May 17, with a 125-94 Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons, sending Cleveland into a series against the New York Knicks. New York had been waiting since May 10, when the Knicks finished a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers in the other East semifinal. The NBA’s official playoff schedule lists Game 1 for Tuesday, May 19, in New York at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals that begin June 3. ### How did Cleveland get here after trailing Detroit early in the series? Cleveland lost the first two games of the series at home before recovering to beat Detroit four times in the next five games. The Cavaliers closed the matchup with a 31-point road win in Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena, according to NBA.com’s game summary and playoff schedule page. (nba.com) Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 35 points in the deciding game, and NBA.com’s live recap said James Harden also helped steer the Cavaliers through the closeout. The same recap said Cleveland reached its first Eastern Conference finals since 2018. ### What did New York do in its semifinal? New York swept Philadelphia 4-0 and ended the series on May 10 with a 144-114 win in Game 4. (nba.com) NBA.com’s semifinal recap said the Knicks reached a second straight Eastern Conference finals after finishing off the 76ers in Philadelphia. Miles McBride scored 25 points in the clincher, and the Knicks hit 25 3-pointers, which NBA.com said tied the most by any team in a playoff game and set a Knicks franchise playoff record. (nba.com) NBA.com also said New York won that game by 30 after leading by as many as 44. ### Where does the series start, and why is New York at home first? (nba.com) The NBA’s official bracket lists the East finals as No. 3 New York against No. 4 Cleveland, with Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 scheduled at Madison Square Garden. The playoff schedule page shows Game 1 on Tuesday, May 19, and Game 2 on Thursday, May 21, both in New York. New York opens at home because the Knicks are the higher remaining seed in the Eastern Conference finals. (nba.com) Cleveland entered the round as the No. 4 seed after eliminating No. 1 Detroit, while New York advanced as the No. 3 seed after beating No. 7 Philadelphia. ### What does the full East finals schedule look like? NBA.com lists Game 3 for Saturday, May 23, and Game 4 for Monday, May 25, in Cleveland. (nba.com) If needed, Game 5 would be May 27 in New York, Game 6 would be May 29 in Cleveland, and Game 7 would be May 31 in New York. The NBA schedule page also shows every game in the series set for 8 p.m. (nba.com) ET, with ESPN carrying the broadcasts and ESPN Radio and SiriusXM listed for radio coverage. ### When does the winner move on? June 3 is the date set for Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, according to the league’s official playoff schedule. NBA.com lists June 5, June 8 and June 10 for Games 2 through 4, with Games 5 through 7, if necessary, scheduled for June 13, June 16 and June 19. (nba.com) Tuesday, May 19, is the next date on the board for this matchup, when Cleveland visits New York for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com)