Magic Return to NBA Playoffs After Four-Year Absence: First Round Matchup Against Cavaliers on ESPN

The No. 5 Magic are making a return to the NBA playoffs after four years of absence and will be facing the No. 4 Cavaliers in their first-round series starting on Saturday in Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with tip-off at 1 p.m. on ESPN. This will be the first time Orlando plays on ESPN since the 2020 postseason in the Disney bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Magic had a regular-season record of 47-35 and will be playing against the 48-34 Cavaliers on national television at least twice during this series. The first-round playoff games will also be locally aired on Bally Sports Florida, with the exception of those broadcast on ABC. Fans can listen to the games on the Orlando Magic Radio Network with the flagship station being FM 96.9 The Game.

Orlando previously appeared on TNT in mid-February when hosting the Thunder and retiring Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey No. 32. However, this is their first time playing nationally televised games on ESPN since then, which they have been lacking for three seasons now, despite appearing regularly on TNT and ABC during that period.

The full schedule for the first round, a best-of-seven series against the Cavaliers, is as follows: Game 1 on Saturday in Cleveland at 1 p.m., Game 2 on Monday in Cleveland at 7 p.m., Game 3 on April 25 in Orlando at