Really see value in resting Dame, Nic, LA, and Kaman. If these guys can all be limited to about 70% of their regular mpg, or even a few nights off, I think we will seriously benefit in the playoffs. Dame looks very fatigued right now. And LA always says he plays better after rest. Same with Nic and Kaman.
Get that 4 seed locked up and forget about HCA. Get the guys ready in practices and keep their rhythms and get rest.
If we work ridiculously hard to get HCA, then are too tired to be on our A game in the playoffs and end up losing one of the first two games, all that effort will be for naught. Think about it, Terry.
But, how much rest do these guys actually need? It wasn't fatigue that killed us against the Spurs last year. We just flat out ran into a much better, more experienced team. The Spurs destroyed OKC and MIA (who also rested their starters during the last month of the regular season) every bit as bad as they destroyed us.
Lillard is the only starter playing comparable MPG this year compared to last. Aldridge, at 35.7 is playing the fewest MPG since he averaged 34.9 MPG his in his second season. His PT is down 4 MPG from it's peak under McMillan and down 2 MPG from two years ago. Batum, at 33.9 MPG is also down over 2 MPG from last season and Rolo, in spite of getting a two month mid-season vacation is averaging only 28.2 MPG, down a full 3.5 MPG over last season (28.2 MPG in 49 games is a LOT less wear and tear than 31.7 MPG times 82 games).
But, the real key is the much more relaxed scheduling of the post season. Because the games are usually closer, lower scoring and more intense, I think the general perception is the playoffs are a physical grind, but compared to the regular season, they most definitely are not. Because the NBA likes to maximize ratings during the playoffs, they try to schedule as many weekend games as possible - especially for the Western Conference. Week night Western Conference playoff games take a huge ratings hit as most viewers on the East Coast aren't going to stay up to watch a weeknight game that starts at 10:00pm their time and won't get over until between 12:30 and 1:00am.
As a result, there are no back-to-back or no 5 game in 7 day road trips in the playoffs. For example, last season the Blazers final regular season game was on Wednesday 4/15, but there first playoff game wasn't until Sunday 4/20 and their second game not until the following Wednesday 4/22. So, instead of 5 games in 7 nights, in the playoffs, it's 2 games in 7 nights - and without having to travel in between. After their regular season finale, they only played 1 game over the next 6 days. That's not quite All Star break kind of rest, but very, very close.
Last year, with seedings still undecided up until the second to last game of the season, Stotts continued to play his starters big minutes to try to get HCA and the best possible seeding. The second-to-last game of the year last season was an OT win over GSW with Lopez playing 45 minutes, Lillard and Batum both playing over 43 minutes, Wes playing 42 and Aldridge 38. It wasn't until the seedings were locked in that Stotts rested his starters the final game of the year against the Clippers. The starters played the first quarter of that game and then got the rest of the night off. The Clippers also rested most of their starters, too.
Like last season, our regular season finale is on a Wednesday this year. We will not have our first playoff game until at least Saturday (possibly Sunday, again) and will play at most 2 games in the 7 days following our final regular season game. With so many days off between games, fatigue was not an issue during the HOU series and, regardless of who we play, should not be a factor this year, either.
BTW, I know Pop gets tons of credit for resting his vets during the regular season (typically by sitting them during the second night of a back-to-back and during long road trips), but it should also be noted that the much more relaxed schedule during the playoffs is tailor made to veteran teams like the Spurs. With no back-to-back games or long road trips, it gives those old joints and muscles plenty of time to recover between games. With at least two and often three days off between games in the post season, Pop knows he can push his old guys much harder during the playoffs than during the regular season. It's not just the reduced minutes during the regular season that makes the Spurs so fresh during the playoffs, it's also all the extra days off between games and less intensive travel. Of course, all teams benefit from this, but the extra rest benefits the old guys more than the young guys with far fewer miles on their legs and backs.
BNM
