The battle for the East officially begins tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks are entering the series well-rested as their last game, a 144-14 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers to sweep them in the second round, was over a week ago on May 10. OG Anunoby, who got injured early in the series with the Sixers, is likely to play tonight after sitting out the last two games.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, played just two days ago in Sunday’s Game 7 against Detroit. Both of the Cavs’ playoff series so far have gone to seven games.
The Knicks haven’t advanced to the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven’t won it all since 1973. The Cavaliers are in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time without LeBron James since 1992 and have never made the Finals without James on their roster.
NBA Eastern Conference Finals: what to know
- What: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks, Game 1
- When: May 19, 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden (New York, New York)
- Channel: ESPN
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Game 2 in the series is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET.
Cavaliers vs. Knicks start time:
Game 1 between the Cavaliers vs. Knicks Eastern Conference Final is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET tonight, May 19.
How to watch Cavaliers vs. Knicks for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes ESPN (plus nearly every other channel you’ll need for the rest of the NBA postseason). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $44.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
Knicks-Cavaliers second round playoff schedule
- Game 1: Tuesday, May 19 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 2: Thursday, May 21 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 3: Saturday, May 23 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 4: Monday, May 25 (8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 27 (8 ET, ESPN)*
- Game 6: Friday, May 29 (8 ET, ESPN)*
- Game 7: Sunday, May 31 (8 ET, ESPN)*
* if necessary
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
