Carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers and playing so many minutes may be catching up to LeBron James this postseason.
James’ Cavs lost to the Boston Celtics 96-83 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday to fall behind 3-2 in the series. LeBron played 39 minutes and scored 26 points with 10 rebounds in the game. Compare that to the 42 minutes and 44 points he scored in Game 4, which the Cavs won on Monday.
After Game 5, Cavs head coach Ty Lue said James looked a little tired in the game.
“Yeah, he looked a little tired to me,” Lue said in response to a question.
James was pulled with a few minutes left in the game, but he still saw significant action. Keep in mind that the Cavs went a full seven games in the first round of the playoffs with the Pacers. They swept Toronto, but they’ve now played 16 games this postseason. He’s averaging nearly 41 minutes per game in these playoffs. You figure it would have to catch up to him before long.
James needs to rest and regroup to give his Cavs everything in Game 6 and possibly 7. Game 6 will be on Friday night. If the Cavs win, they will play Game 7 in Boston on Sunday.
