The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their 4-game road trip, with an ugly 106-92 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night. Up to that point, the Cavaliers were excellent on the trip, as they thrashed the Dallas Mavericks, stole an unthinkable win in San Antonio and easily took care of business in Orlando.
So going 3-1 on a relatively tough road trip is an acceptable result for the Cavs, as they try to hold onto the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto currently sits 2 games behind Cleveland for that second seed and David Blatt is solely focused on holding onto that, per Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, “We’ve got to finish in second place. We’re thinking about that.”
LeBron James doesn’t have the same mindset as Blatt though, again, per Lloyd:
"“That’s what the coaching staff, that’s what they want. For me, I never play for seeding. I just play. Wherever at the end of the season we land, I’m ready. Just get my in the playoffs. I feel like I can win on anybody’s floor, I feel I can win at home. I’m that confident in my ability and our team’s ability. I’ve never, in my 12-year career, played for seeding. That’s just not how I work.”"
While Blatt has a fair argument as to why he wants that number two seed, as home-court advantage is vitally important in the playoffs, he shouldn’t overuse James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the final 13 games of the season. An injury to either one of the big three would all but kill the Cavs championship dreams and Blatt simply cannot run that risk, all for a number two seed.
Like James stated, he doesn’t play for seeding and neither should the Cavaliers for the rest of the way. Yes, finishing in second would be ideal for Cleveland, as they have no chance of snatching top spot from the Atlanta Hawks. But James has asked for less minutes and rest multiple times this season, in an effort to keep him fresh for the post-season. Blatt needs to listen to his star and start resting him in the final month or so of the season.
For the Cavaliers, and Blatt, it comes down to this- would you rather have the number two seed in the weak Eastern Conference or have a 100% James come playoff time?
The answer is pretty obvious.
In the aforementioned Heat game, the Cavs were down by 20 points heading into the final quarter. Miami were dominating the ballgame, the Cavs were on a second half of a back-to-back and there was doubt on whether James would even play, as he had an awkward fall the night before in Orlando. This is a time where Blatt should have thrown in the white flag and rest James the rest of the way. The game was out of reach and even if Cleveland did steal the win, it wouldn’t have counted for much in the long run. Instead, Blatt played James for the majority of the final quarter, which did nothing but place a couple more miles on The King’s legs.
If Blatt plans on playing James in the fourth quarter of a blowout in March, then he must be prepared to sit him for a game or two in April. The Cavs have plenty of games left where James can afford to sit, as they have Brooklyn twice, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston twice and the Heat again. None of those games will be of overly-importance for the Cavaliers and James’ services may not be needed in majority of them.
While Blatt needs to rest James and keep him fresh heading into the playoffs, the same must be done for Love and Irving.
Blatt has actually rested Love the previous two matches, a good move, to give him some time to sort out his season-long back issues. While many have stupidly blasted Love for his play this season, he is still a vital part of this club, as his rebounding, outlet passing and floor spacing simply cannot be replaced. Love has clearly been affected by back spasms all season and he, and the Cavs, need to make sure he is as close to 100% as possible come mid-April and beyond.
As for Irving, who has been sensational this season, Blatt needs to again calculate the importance of a healthy Irving versus a second seed. Irving has had a relatively healthy season, missing only five games, but that doesn’t mean a few games off won’t hurt. Irving is averaging 37.1 minutes per game, second in the league (James ranks fourth in that category), so while he’s been healthy, fatigue will certainty set in at some stage. Irving (and Love for that matter) has never faced the physical and mental grind that is the NBA Playoffs, so extra games rest will be a welcome sign for them heading into the post-season.
More from King James Gospel
- 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
- The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
- 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
- 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
- This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead
Come playoff time, getting the highest seed possible is obviously an important factor. Many times, the home crowd can get a team amped up and will them to victory. Is seeding more important than having your star players healthy in the playoffs though? The answer is no and Blatt needs to be willing to rest James, Love and Irving in these final 13 games, even if it results in the Cavs dropping a seed or two.
Do you think David Blatt should sit his stars more?