The Cavaliers opened their season with 15 straight wins and never let up, finishing with a 64-18 record — the highest win total for any Cavs team without LeBron James — to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They’ll now face the eighth-seeded Heat, who stumbled through a rocky regular season but emerged out of the play-in, in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo led Miami’s 8-4 surge to close the regular season, helping Spoelstra’s retooled squad find its footing just in time for a first-round clash with the conference’s top seed.
After last year’s seven-game slugfest with the Magic and a second-round exit against the eventual champion Celtics, Cleveland came into this season with urgency. A healthier trio of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley — who missed a combined 84 games in 2023-24 — and the arrival of head coach Kenny Atkinson set the tone for a new chapter.
This marks the first postseason meeting between the two franchises — and it took a chaotic Heat campaign to get here. Miami spent months in limbo before trading Jimmy Butler, then spiraled with 17 losses in 21 games, including a 10-game losing streak — their worst since before Erik Spoelstra took over.
Here’s what you need to know to watch Cavs vs. Heat, including broadcast information and start times.
Cavs vs. Heat schedule
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr. 20 | Game 1 at Cleveland | 7 p.m. | TNT, Sling |
| Apr. 23 | Game 2 at Cleveland | 7:30 p.m. | NBA TV, Sling |
| Apr. 26 | Game 3 at Miami | 1 p.m. | TNT, Sling |
| Apr. 28 | Game 4 at Miami | TBD | Sling |
| Apr. 30 | Game 5 at Cleveland* | TBD | Sling |
| May 2 | Game 6 at Miami* | TBD | Sling |
| May 4 | Game 7 at Cleveland* | TBD | Sling |
* If necessary
How to watch Cavs vs. Heat: TV channel, live stream
- TV channel: NBA TV | TNT
- Live stream: Sling
Cavs vs. Heat will be aired on multiple channels. Game 1 and 3 will air on TNT, Game 2 will air on NBA TV. Channel designations for Games 4, 5, 6, and 7 will be announced later.
Fans looking to stream Cavs vs. Heat can watch live on Sling, which will carry every NBA playoff game in 2025.
Sling is your home for playoff action. Catch NBA and NHL postseason games with a range of sports channels including TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN, ABC and more.
Cavs vs. Heat radio station
- Radio station: SiriusXM 81 (Heat), 86 (Cavs)
Fans can listen to every game of the Cavs vs. Heat series live on SiriusXM.
New subscribers can enjoy SiriusXM for free for four months. Listen to live NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels.
NBA Playoffs schedule, key dates for 2025
Here are the key dates to know for the NBA Playoffs and offseason. Some series start dates could move up depending on when previous series end.
| Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| Play-In Tournament | April 15-18 |
| First round begins | April 19 |
| Conference semifinals begin | May 5-6 |
| NBA Draft Lottery | May 12 |
| Western Conference finals begin | May 20 |
| Eastern Conference finals begin | May 21 |
| NBA Finals begin | June 5 |
| NBA Finals Game 7 (if necessary) | June 22 |
| NBA Draft in Brooklyn | June 25-26 |
Related Links
