Cavs vs Knicks live NBA playoffs updates from Game 1

CLEVELAND — For the first time since 2018, the Cavaliers are back in the NBA playoffs.

And for the first time since 1998, they have returned to the postseason without LeBron James on their roster.

But whether these Cavs will become the first since 1993 to win a playoff series sans LeBron remains to be seen.

Their mission will launch in earnest with Game 1 of a best-of-seven first-round series Saturday night against the New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

The Cavs (51-31) are the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed and have home-court advantage in Round 1. The Knicks (47-35) are the fifth seed, but they beat the Cavs in three of the four regular-season meetings between the teams.