Cavs-Magic Game 5: How to work around blackout on YouTube TV, Sling, Hulu and watch for free
CLEVELAND, Ohio – If you are planning on streaming the Cavs-Magic pivotal Game 5 tonight on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV or Sling, you are in for a surprise if you live in the Cleveland and Orlando markets. The game will be blacked out due to exclusive broadcasting rights.You can get around the blackout by signing up for a free trial with Fubo or DirecTV Stream. Games like tonight are the kind that you don’t want to miss with the series tied, 2-2. They can make or break a franchise. A win sends the Cavs one win away from unchartered territory in their new era. A loss sends them into turmoil. Luckily, there are multiple streaming alternatives available.The game will be broadcast live on NBA TV, Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Florida with a tipoff at 8:07 p.m. Eastern. But fans who have parted ways with their cable provider can catch the action for free by utilizing streaming options like Fubo and DirecTV Stream, which both offer a free trial. Sling TV (available in markets outside of Cleveland and Orlando) is also offering a promotional discount for new customers.The NBA gives the team’s local TV partner exclusive in-market broadcast rights in a handful of games. That’s what’s happening in the Cleveland-Orlando series. It all comes down to a simple path: If your TV provider doesn’t carry Bally Sports Ohio, you will be locked out, even if it does carry NBA TV. You can get around it by signing up for a free trial with Fubo or DirecTV Stream and canceling before the trial ends to avoid being charged.Many viewers have cut the cord on their cable provider, opting for a live TV streaming service instead. The problem is that many of those services such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling don’t carry Bally Sports Ohio due to ongoing disputes with the network’s owner, Diamond Sports Group.But Bally Sports Ohio is available on two cable-like streaming services: Fubo (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial). If you just want to sneak a peek for one or two nights of playoff action, remember to cancel before the seven days are up.Here are more details about Cavs vs. Magic Game 5 and how to watch it via various TV and streaming options:What: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic, NBA Playoffs Eastern Quarterfinals Game 5When: Tuesday, April 30, 2024Time: 8 p.m. EasternWhere: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OhioChannels: NBA TV, Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports FloridaBest streaming options: Fubo (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV (available in select markets, half off first month)Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DirecTv, Dish, Verizon FiosBelow is part of a breakdown on what the Cavs need to do to win Game 5 from cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins.CLEVELAND, Ohio — Scrap the whiteboards for a second, and listen to your superstar. Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell is sharing the secret to playoff success in front of working microphones and rolling cameras, meaning there’s no way his teammates can miss it.Ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, which has won the last two games of this playoff series by 61 combined points, Cleveland can solve of its playoff struggles if it heeds the advice Mitchell offered Monday afternoon.And in case anyone missed it the first time, they can rewatch it on YouTube or read about it online.“... Keep that level head and understanding that, still being able to get to our stuff when the physicality is brought up, when the crowd is going crazy for them,” Mitchell said Monday. “We weren’t able to do that for two games. So how do we fix it? Well, we went over some things, and we’ve got to be able to do it on Tuesday.”Are Mitchell’s teammates listening? Because despite his comments stating otherwise, Cleveland’s lead guard can carry them only so far on a bad knee (no matter how much he claims that he’s fine). Despite the fan base’s outrage, coach J.B. Bickerstaff can only move so many chess pieces to help his team rediscover a rhythm. And despite the energy Cleveland expects from its home crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday, the Cavs cannot expect a venue change to solve their playoff problem that Orlando exposed over the last five days.After a season spent explaining how much they learned from last season’s playoff exit, the Cavs looked just as overmatched inside Orlando’s Kia Center last week as they did at Madison Square Garden last year.Cleveland shot 42.8% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range in Games 3 and 4. The Cavs’ defense surrendered 116.5 points per game on the road compared to 84.5 per game at home.And only Jarrett Allen met the moment by scoring 20 points in either road game, which is surprising considering how open Allen was last season about his playoff unpreparedness, and which is concerning given how convinced the Cavs still seem that their playoff struggles are in their past.
