Luka vs. Lu, backcourt battles: Biggest factors in Thunder-Mavs, Celtics-Cavs series

The other half of the NBA's conference semifinal round will begin Tuesday night, when the Cleveland Cavaliers will play in Boston against the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Celtics, while the Dallas Mavericks will bring the Red River Rivalry to the hardwood when they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, the West's No. 1 seed. For Cleveland, it marks a return to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2018 -- and the first time without LeBron James since 1993.