Cavaliers are eager to play

Finally, a foil.

Frankly, this shadow boxing -- or maybe it should be called shadow basketball -- was getting rather dreary for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who last played a game of real meaning on May 11.

Only it’s not the defending champion Boston Celtics showing up on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals; the guest will be the Orlando Magic, which beat the Celtics in Game 7 on Sunday. Time for the sabbatical-happy Cavaliers to put their shirts on and get back to work; well, at least get back to work.

“We’re very anxious,” Cavaliers forward Joe Smith said on Monday after practice. “It got this way between Round 1 and Round 2 when we were tired of beating up on each other. We’re ready for some new action. It almost makes you miss basketball a little bit.”

Men at work also meant men watching film, including a viewing of that fateful 29-point drubbing on April 3 at the hands of the Magic. Orlando also won the season series, 2-1.

“We watched clips today from all three games,” said Cleveland Coach Mike Brown. “They really hammered us in transition. I think they outscored us in the three games, like 58-22, in transition. They didn’t just do it in the third game. They did it in the first two. We have to do a better job in that area.”

For all of Cleveland’s ease in the playoffs -- its closest game was an 11-point victory in Game 2 versus Detroit in the first round -- the Cavaliers were answering questions about some people picking the Magic to win the series. Most likely because one of their biggest doubters holds the largest media pulpit: TNT’s Charles Barkley.

“I think the best answer to that is winning,” said center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who earlier said he wouldn’t be surprised if this series lasted seven games.

Said the Cavaliers’ LeBron James: “Everybody has an opinion. That’s OK. You’ve just got to go out and play. We don’t care if people pick Orlando to beat the Cavs.”

James was a bit more expansive when he was asked about Magic superstar and Olympic teammate Dwight Howard, who called out Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy after the Game 5 loss. Attempted leadership or frustration?

“It was a little bit of both,” James said. “He’s the leader of the team and has the right to call out some things that were wrong. I didn’t see it as bad. But there’s always ways to handle a situation like that. But he didn’t do it the right way, maybe. But they still won the series. And they learned from that situation.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com