Help Us Jesus (or Kyrie): Cavs-Pelicans, Behind the Box Score
December 5, 2015LeBron Rests and so do the Cavaliers: Cavs vs Heat Behind the Box Score
December 6, 2015LeBron James will not play in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Saturday night game against the Miami Heat. Head coach David Blatt shared the news at his pre-game media availability in Miami.
James, who played nearly 45 minutes in Friday’s overtime loss against the New Orleans Pelicans, will miss his first game of the 2015-16 season. Famously, he said before the season that he intended to play in all 82 games this year. He played in only 69 contests last season, mostly due to his two-week rest around New Year’s. Blatt said the decision to rest James was his call.
LeBron James will be held out of tonight's game against Miami to rest. Blatt's decision: "I kind of had to force the issue"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 5, 2015
David Blatt says there are "no physical problems…" for LeBron. Just a quick back-to-back after an overtime game.
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) December 5, 2015
On Friday, ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh wrote about James’ record-setting playing time throughout his career thus far. James, who turns 31 on Dec. 30, played in more minutes through his age-30 season than any other player in NBA history. That includes all of his playoff appearances, as he’s made five consecutive NBA Finals. Haberstroh, who pointed out that many all-time greats started to regress in their 13th season, specifically suggested that the Cavs should consider resting James in back-to-back games. James had played in three back-to-back sets already this year.
The Cavaliers (13-6) currently have a half-game lead over the Chicago Bulls (11-5) and Indiana Pacers (12-6) in the more-competitive-than-expected Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat (11-6) are right behind all those teams as well. The Heat’s 95.6 defensive rating ranks No. 2 in the NBA, according to NBA.com/stats.
LeBron and the Cavs will be certain to enjoy some extra rest this coming week, as well. After Saturday’s game, the team next plays on Tuesday back home against the Portland Trail Blazers. They then have two more days off before next Friday’s game at Orlando.
2 Comments
I don’t know if I buy the rest angle I mean Cavs had two days off before last night. Perhaps the motivation is waning again for LBJ.
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