LeBron James, with the Cavaliers locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, reportedly hinted he’d rest the next two games.
But when Cleveland hosts the Celtics tonight in the first of consecutive games against Boston, LeBron will play.
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:
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This is obviously bad news for the Celtics, who are desperately trying to hold their playoff position. Boston is tied with the Nets for seventh in the Eastern Conference (holding the tiebreaker over Brooklyn), one game ahead of the Pacers and 1.5 games ahead of the Heat.
Beating the Cavaliers with LeBron is significantly more difficult than beating them without him, but maybe the Celtics will catch a break. LeBron, wanting rest, won’t necessarily play his usual 36 minutes.
Plus, this is in Cleveland. Maybe LeBron follows through when these teams meet again Sunday in Boston, where he’s not as worried about home fans.