No Dilemma in Cleveland

Flip over to the Tournament for 10 minutes, and LeBron just ruins the party. Dallas took a 15-point lead in Cleveland in the first half, only to watch it shrink to two by halftime. The margin zipped back to 17 by the end of the third ... with the Cavs in front. Bron-Bron dropped 15 in the third, Dallas dropped 11 and that’s it folks.
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↵Before the game, Reds Army wondered if Cleveland’s press for home-court advantage might damage the Cavs in the postseason.↵↵⇥[T]hey’re in a dilemma. Rest LeBron, and potentially lose out on the best overall record… or keep playing him, and risk him being run down by the later rounds in the playoffs. ...
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↵⇥The Cavs have lost 13 games this year. 12 of them on the road. If home court is important to anyone, it’s Cleveland. But they then run the risk of being so dependent on home court, that it messes with their heads. When you go into a series thinking you just have to defend your home court and you’ll be fine, you run the risk of relaxing on the road. It’s hard to flip a switch like that.↵↵The theory then follows that because home-court isn’t even an option for Boston, the Celtics can rest to get healthy and will end up in better position than the Cavs. That’s a fantastic theory ... until the second round, when Orlando has home-court advantage. And the conference finals, when Cleveland has home-court. And all prayers answered the Finals, when the Lakers have home-court. Have we really already forgotten last year’s Boston-Cleveland series? The Cavs took Boston to seven ... and the Celtics won the finisher by five whole points. Anyone (in Beantown or elsewhere) that doesn’t believe Cleveland is much, much better than a year ago is only fooling themselves.
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↵(Further, Celtics fan who aren’t worried about the Magic should be, and LeBron will only end up playing about 50-100 more minutes this season than last season, even though he’ll play an extra six or so games.)↵