Since I'm unbelievably clever, that title not only refers to me defending his decision to bench the stars in the possibly-record-tying game last night, but it also points to his mantra as coach; defending.
The final game of the regular season was an important game...to Cavalier fans. I would have loved to see Cleveland win and join an ultra-exclusive list of teams who have won 40 games at home. It's ultra-exclusive because, obviously, the 85-86 Celtics are the only team on that list. Furthermore, winning 67 games is another slim list which we could have been a part of if we'd won last night's contest vs. the 76ers.
But in reality, what did we have to gain?
If LeBron had played, he would have played all out, as usual. Knock on wood, he's been incredibly healthy throughout his career, despite playing at breakneck speed at all times. Had James landed on someone's foot after a layup or bumped knees with someone on a drive, that would put our entire playoff run in jeopardy over a game that meant absolutely nothing to our playoffs.
