With the NBA regular season set to end on Wednesday, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue revealed his plans for resting the team’s main stars down the stretch.
Lue said he intends to rest All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, but not until the defending champs clinch the No. 1 seed in the East:
“If we can take care of business like we’re supposed to, I think that we’d like LeBron and Kyrie to get some rest,” Lue said. “I think J.R. (Smith) and (Kyle) Korver and Kevin (Love) and those guys should play a little bit because they’ve been out for so long and just try to keep J.R.’s rhythm and establish Kevin’s rhythm and the same thing with Kyle.
If the Cavaliers can win two more games, they would secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
James, 32, is averaging 37.6 minutes in 73 games this season while his counterpart, Irving, is averaging 34.9 minutes in 71 games. It’s crucial for the Cavs to make sure their top contributors are rested by the time playoffs roll around next weekend.
