Now that we're at the end of the NBA regular season, coaches of playoff teams have to decide if they want to rest players for the playoffs or keep playing them to maintain continuity.
After the Cleveland Cavaliers struggled to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, many were thinking the Cavs needed rest, but head coach David Blatt disagreed.
“The first priority here is not to rest guys,” Blatt said. “It is to stay sharp. We want to play well until the end of the season. We have goals still to achieve.”
Cleveland has a 2½-game lead over Chicago for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, and almost all of Cleveland’s remaining opponents are battling for a playoff spot or postseason seeding.
“That’s a good thing,” Blatt said. “That’s going to force us to stay sharp, stay ready, which we should.”
The Cavs do have some natural rest built into the schedule, as they only play three games in the next 10 days.
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