Schedule and 2022-23 Results
Regular Season Records: Cleveland 51-31, New York 47-35
Game 1 on Saturday, 15 April: New York wins at Cleveland, 101-pts-97
Game 2 on Tuesday, 18 April: New York loses at Cleveland, 107-pts-90
Game 3 on Friday, 21 April: Cleveland loses at New York, 99-pts-79
Game 4 on Sunday, 23 April: Cleveland loses at New York, 102-pts-93
Game 5 on Wednesday, 26 April: New York wins at Cleveland, 106-pts-95

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The New York Knickerbockers visited and topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-pts-95 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1536 victory. With the series 1536 win, the New York Knickerbockers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 19-27 overall and 2-4 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1536 loss, the Cleveland Cavaliers see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 23-12 overall and 9-1 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious New York Knickerbockers in series 1536 was WLWWW: Series 1536 thus becomes the seventh NBA Preliminary-round series, the 31st NBA series (all rounds), and the 89th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The series 1536 loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers is their first best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round playoff series loss; Cleveland had had a perfect 9-0 series record in best-of-7 NBA Preliminary rounds prior to series 1536. In series 1536, the New York Knickerbockers win their first best-of-7 NBA playoff series in a decade; the Knicks last won such a series in series 1204, over the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2013 NBA Preliminary round.

After Game 4: The New York Knickerbockers hosted and bested the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-pts-93 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1536 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Knickerbockers have a series record of 8-1 and a Game 5 record of 6-3. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 1-2 and a Game 5 record of 2-1. The sole best-of-7 NBA playoff series loss by the New York Knickerbockers in the wake of a 3-games-1 lead was in series 739, to the Miami Heat in the 1997 NBA Quarterfinals. The sole best-of-7 NBA playoff series win by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the wake of a 3-games-1 deficit was in series 1316, over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

After Game 3: The New York Knickerbockers hosted and vanquished the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-pts-79 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1536 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the New York Knickerbockers have a series record of 11-3 and a Game 4 record of 7-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 6-5 (with an active four-series winning streak) and a Game 4 record of 9-2. The New York Knickerbockers are leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1 for the first time this millennium: The last 2-games-1 lead by the Knicks occurred in series 792, against the Indiana Pacers in the 1999 NBA Semifinals (won by New York in six games). Leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series WLW @ VVH, the New York Knickerbockers have a 1-1 series record, having defeated the Indiana Pacers in the aforementioned series 792, and having lost to the Miami Heat in series 739 (in the 1997 NBA Quarterfinals).

After Game 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and defeated the New York Knickerbockers 107-pts-90 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1536 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 5-4 and a Game 3 record of 4-5, while the New York Knickerbockers have a series record of 8-11 and a Game 3 record of 6-13. With the series 1536 Game 2 victory by the Cleveland Cavaliers, series 1536 becomes the first Spring 2023 NBA/NHL playoff series to be knotted 1-game-all after the first two games.

After Game 1: The New York Knickerbockers visited and bested the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-pts-97 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1536 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Knickerbockers have a series record of 14-6 and a Game 2 record of 12-8. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 6-10 and a Game 2 record of 6-10.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2022-23 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished four games ahead of the New York Knickerbockers. From 1947 through the 2022 NBA Finals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by four regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 31-12 (.721) with an active seven-series winning streak in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1536 is the 35th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the 46th for the New York Knickerbockers. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have an all-rounds series record of 23-11, a Preliminary-round series record of 9-0, and a Game 1 record of 18-16, while the New York Knickerbockers have an all-rounds series record of 18-27, a Preliminary-round series record of 1-4, and a Game 1 record of 20-25. Series 1536 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knickerbockers. In their last seven best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the New York Knickerbockers have seen their Game 1 outcome presage their series outcome (one win, six losses).