Lue not worried about LeBron's minutes: 'He might play 48'

There will always be concerns over LeBron James' workload given that he's already logged more career minutes than some Hall of Famers, but the playoffs isn't the time to pinch pennies.

With that in mind, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that it makes more sense for James to rest following a short series, rather than finding him breaks during games and risking a loss.

"Of course, we're always cognizant of LeBron's minutes, but in looking at this situation, we didn't look at the minutes as an issue," Lue said. "It makes more sense to close out the series and have the additional rest versus playing potentially even more minutes, potentially 96 to 144 more minutes. Closing out and the rest that comes with it far outweighs the other potential scenario."

James led the regular season in minutes per game at 37.8 and somehow that figure rose to 43.8 in the first round of the playoffs. But the benefit of that heavy workload was a series sweep of the Indiana Pacers, which has afforded James a full week off to recharge before the second round.

"I mean, I don't understand why people make a big deal out of minutes," Lue said after practice on Wednesday. "He had a week off before the series started. We won four straight games, and then he had a week off again. So next (series) he might play 48 minutes."

James fully supports Lue, echoing the claim that he could indeed play an entire game without rest.

"Coaches always ask me how I'm feeling throughout the game, and I feel great," James said. "If I'm out on the floor and I'm hurting us by playing a lot of minutes, then I need to come out. But in this series, I played a lot of minutes, and I felt great. I actually could have played the whole game if need be."