Last season, injuries ultimately did the Cleveland Cavaliers in when they got to the playoffs. Losing players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love ended any chance the team had at beating the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs are now trying to prevent history from repeating itself, which means additional rest down the final stretch of the regular season.
Head coach Tyronn Lue is planning on giving key players additional rest before the playoffs and it could start later this week. The health of players like LeBron James, Irving and Love will be critical when the Cavaliers get into the playoffs and Lue knows it. With the team having a solid lead in the Eastern Conference standings right now, Cleveland has the flexibility to rest its stars in order to keep them healthy.
The Cavaliers have a three-game stretch coming up this weekend, including back-to-back games. For these games, Lue said, "I'll look to rest guys." This will be a common occurrence for the remainder of the regular season as the Cavs are seeking a rematch with the Warriors in the Finals. According to Kobe Bryant, the Cavaliers also need another leader on the floor outside of James, and Irving is making it clear that he wants to be that guy to help guide Cleveland through the postseason.
"I think that in order for our team to be where we want to go, I have to step up and be that other leader on our team other than LeBron," Irving said. "So, I would agree with that. It's definitely in my personality. It's taken me a few years to kind of grow into that and kind of earn my teammates' respect and also hold myself accountable when I'm out there."
According to James, the Cavaliers are still not playoff-ready just yet, but are getting there. The addition of Channing Frye and his outside shot is proving to be a game changer. Does that mean they can beat the Warriors? No, but they are a lot closer than before. James told the media that the Cavaliers still have some improvements to be made before the playoffs begin, but they are motivated enough to work through them.
"We're kind of getting in form right now," James said. "I think coach Lue has done a great job of kind of finding out his rhythm, he knows what he wants out of us and we're responding. We have a great rotation going right now, guys are healthy, and we're just trying to play the game the right way."
