LeBron James is locking in for the playoffs by taking a night off
In less than 20 days, the NBA's real season begins.
That'd be the 2015-16 playoffs, naturally, which will answer the only question that exists in professional basketball: Can anyone stop the Golden State Warriors?
The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James would seem to be on a collision course with the defending champs. Most basketball observers assume the Cavs will march through the Eastern Conference and claim a spot in the NBA Finals, where they'd likely take on the Warriors.
Yet the path through the East won't necessarily be a cake-walk for LeBron's crew. And even if they do make it to the Finals relatively unscathed, it's going to take every ounce of strength and energy within the Cavs to take down Steph Curry's squad.
With that in mind, James will sit out Tuesday's game against the Houston Rockets, according to coach Tyronn Lue:
#Cavs Tyronn Lue reveals that LeBron James will rest tomorrow night against Houston
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) March 28, 2016
As #Cavs have been saying repeatedly, they want their stars to get extended rest. Resting Tuesday vs. HOU gives LeBron 4 days off. Rare.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) March 28, 2016
James has previously sat out three games this season for the Cavs, none of which have technically been due to injury. Instead, the Cavs have listed LeBron as resting in all of those contests.
It's a crucial tactic for the Cavs, who saw James break down late in the playoffs last year. He'd carried such a massive load for the team that he was unable to buoy a Cleveland lineup missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving due to injury.
This year, however, James is ready for whatever may come in the playoffs, according to reporters around the team.
Maybe it's been easy to miss, but James has been dominant over the past six weeks. He's shooting 52 percent since the All-Star break, 57 percent on shots inside the 3-point line. In March, he's averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, his most prolific rebounding month in four years. After finishing eighth in player efficiency rating last season and lagging outside the top 10 as he hit the new year, James is up to fourth. He was the Eastern Conference Player of the Month in February and has a strong chance of winning it again in March.
Most importantly, the back injury that caused him to get an injection in the preseason has been kept under control. He looks rested and explosive. He has not missed a game this season with injury. After last season, when he was beat up more than any time in his career, that's a real accomplishment.
And it seems to be working. On Monday, it was announced that James won Eastern Conference Player of the Week, his 52nd time winning the award:
Congratulations LeBron!!! The King was just named Player of The Week for a NBA record 52nd time! pic.twitter.com/xweMlb0dkX
— Cleveland SportsTalk (@CLEsportsTalk) March 28, 2016
As for the Rockets, they'll probably be okay with this development. Heading into Monday's games, Houston is a half-game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Any help the Rockets can get is appreciated.
