Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James playing 40-plus minutes isn’t ideal

LeBron James has so far logged more than 40 minutes a night in every game except one in the playoffs. We explore why it should worry the Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Toronto led early but Cleveland forced overtime. From there, the Cavs managed to hang on for the win with defense and timely shots from their veterans.

Many many still think the Raptors should’ve won, they didn’t.

Perhaps the most noticeable issue was James’ subpar night. LeBron did finish with a triple-double, but it was perhaps his worst performance so far in the playoffs.

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James admitted it post-game, telling reporters that he was not as efficient as he would like to be. He reasoned that the minor injury he got during Sunday’s Game 7 against the Pacers prohibited him from getting more practice time.

The four-time NBA MVP’s woes were evident because of his poor shooting, something that rarely happens to someone like LeBron James. Overall, he shot 12-for-30 from the field, including a 1-for-8 clip from downtown and a 1-for-6 stint from the charity stripe.

Could it be that the consecutive 40-plus minute games are already taking a toll on James?

Tireless workhorse?

LeBron averaged slightly more than 41 minutes a night against Indiana during the first round. He only played less than 40 minutes in one game, the 121-87 Game 6 rout at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, when Tyronn Lue left him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.

The King logged 44 in Game 1, an even 40 in Game 2, and 42 in Game 3. He had a series-high of 46 in Game 4, another 42 in Game 5, and 43 in the decisive Game 7 while playing with a minor injury. Expectedly, James confessed his exhaustion after the deciding game.

"[via USA Today]“I’m burnt right now. I’m not thinking about Toronto right now until tomorrow. I’m ready to go home. Can we? I’m tired. I want to go home,” James said."

Just when it looked like he would take things easier in Toronto, James played 47 minutes against the Raptors, beating his previous playoffs-high. In any other night, it would have been a disaster. Fortunately for LeBron, his teammates bailed him out this time.

"[via Cleveland.com]“My teammates were unbelievable tonight. They stepped up when I wasn’t at my best,” said James on Tuesday."

The numbers become more mind-boggling when you bring in the regular season.

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At 33 years old and in his 15th year in the league, James played all 82 games of the regular season for the first time. He amassed a total of 3,026 minutes, the highest he had logged since his first season with the Miami Heat in 2010-2011.

According to ESPN, James has played more minutes than any other player in the NBA this season. And it looks like the Cavs need even more from him at this point in the playoffs.