Cavaliers hoping playoff lights aren't too bright this time around

INDEPENDENCE — Jarrett Allen doesn't regret his infamous quote about last year's playoffs. "Even for me, the lights were brighter than expected," he said about the Cavaliers' collapse. The center had arguably his best season in the NBA in 2023-24, as he recorded 42 double-doubles in 77 games.Allen doesn't expect the postseason lights to be as bright this time around when the Cavs face off against the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series at 1 p.m. Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "After the eclipse, we kept staring into the sun, so nothing can be as bright," the 6-foot-11, 248-pounder said after practice Thursday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "So, we'll be all right." Allen said he doesn't regret making the comment. "I've said a lot worse stuff in my life," he said. Cavs point guard Darius Garland said he didn't pay much attention to Allen's comment. "It was really nothing," he said. "That was our first playoff series and playoff experience itself. I don't think (the lights were) too bright at all. We just lost a series. It wasn't like they killed us every game and we lost by 30 (points). "We're using that as motivation now. That was in the past, so we're not really worried about it. We're using it for motivation now and just trying to go to war on Saturday." The Cavs went into last year's playoffs with little or no postseason experience. The roles are reversed this year, as Orlando has very little playoff experience. "The guys that were on the team last year, I think that was good for them to get their (butt) whooped by a very tough New York team," Cavs backup center Tristan Thompson said. "It let them know how tough the playoffs are." Thompson added the four new veterans on the roster — Max Strus, Georges Niang, Markus Morris Sr. and himself — know what to expect in the playoffs. "I think it's a good combination that you have guys that have had success but also guys that have had failure that are hungry for more," Thompson said. Allen, the Cavs' leading rebounder and shot blocker, said experience will play a role in the first-round series. "I think everything plays a part in just how a team will play," he said. "They don't know what to expect. I think that's going to play a big part going forward." The Knicks threw the first punch in last year's playoff series. The Cavs want to flip the script. "We've seen an effective game plan work against us, so I feel if we use the same game plan, we'll be just fine," Allen said. Close friends Bickerstaff and Magic coach Jamahl Mosley are close friends. "Our families spent All-Star break together," Bickerstaff said. "We've been as close as friends can be for 20 years or so. I don't think you can get any closer other than family." After the first-round matchup was locked in Sunday, Bickerstaff said he spoke to Mosley by phone. "That will be the last time we speak in the next 2½, three weeks," he said. Mosley spent 2010-14 in Cleveland as an assistant and was in Denver from 2005-10. He is 103-143 (.419) in three years as head coach of the Magic. Orlando's team has a Cleveland flavor, with Bret Brielmaier is one of Mosley's assistants. He was an assistant with the Cavs from 2013-16. The Magic's general manager is Anthony Parker, who was a shooting guard with the Cavs from 2009-12. No Porter Rookie point guard Craig Porter Jr. injured his ankle in the regular-season finale against Charlotte. He's walking around with the use of crutches and probably won't be available in the Magic series. Household name Bally Sports Ohio's 74 Cavs regular-season telecasts, according to Nielsen, averaged 50,400 household impressions (HH) per game in Northeast Ohio. When playing in primetime, Cavs telecasts averaged 52,800 HH impressions. Bally Sports Ohio's average Cavs telecast impressions were also more than two times higher than ESPN's average HH impressions for Cavs games in Northeast Ohio. The most viewed game of the season was the Cavs-Lakers game on Nov. 25 with 79,000 HH impressions. That was the most viewed game on the network since the Cavs-Bulls game on Jan. 19, 2022, which had 81,000. The top five most viewed games this season were Nov 25 vs. the Lakers (79,000), Feb. 5 vs. the Kings (73,800), Feb. 12 vs. the 76ers (73,700), Jan. 31 vs. the Pistons (71,140) and April 12 vs. the Pacers (70,324). Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.