After suffering a loss at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, the big question entering the Cleveland Cavaliers’ visit to the Houston Rockets’ floor was whether LeBron James would play or not.
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It’s no secret that the team intends to control James’ playing time as part of a long-term plan that should keep him relatively fresh for the playoffs. Also, there already has been a precedent wherein James was forced to take a night off in their last visit to Miami. James eventually played and helped carry his team to a very impressive win over the Rockets. He had 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 36 minutes of play.
During an in-game interview, Coach David Blatt shared his thoughts on the trend of giving players the night off for rest.
David Blatt goes off on the notion of resting stars more often. #CavsNation #Cavs #Rockets #NBA pic.twitter.com/HaCwz45W5G
— Cavs Nation TV (@CavsNationTV) January 16, 2016
In his article for Cleveland.com, Chris Fedor provided a transcript of Blatt’s interview.
“You have to play. You have to come out and you’ve gotta compete. You have to keep your eyes on guys and see if they’re getting tired, but that’s part of the NBA season.
“It’s become such a thing to rest guys all the time in back-to-backs. But what the hell have we been doing for the last 50 years in the NBA? Guys have been playing. I know that. A lot of guys have been playing.”
This strategy has ignited numerous discussions from different corners, up to fans who feel that they are not getting the full value of their tickets, and it does not appear to be ceasing anytime soon. But despite all the opinions, that one image of the Cleveland Cavaliers parading in June would easily justify every means to an end.