5. LeBron’s Ridiculous Workload
After 203 career playoff games, James gives little indication of slowing down. And the decision to rest him for what were two meaningless games to end the regular season paid off handsomely against the Pacers, as he averaged close to a triple-double while shooting 54.3 percent overall from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range.
But with the Cavs being involved in one cliffhanger after another, James was called upon to play at least 42 minutes in all four games. It’s doubtful whether his free-throw accuracy would have been significantly better had Lue limited him to 36 or 38 minutes a game, although it should be noted that James went a combined 10 for 20 from the line in Games 2 and 3.
Through Tuesday’s games, only three players were averaging 40 or more minutes in the postseason — James, Paul George of the Pacers, and Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls.
