Are you concerned about our rotation/mins?

[coco]

PP(46mins), Rondo(44mins), RAllen(40mins…because of foul trouble)

I can’t understand why PP played the entire first half, and ended up with 46 mins.  Don’t know if you noticed, but when Miami was making their push in the 4th quarter, PP was out of legs….it took 3 or 4 misses/possessions for Doc to realize what was happening. 

I am a bit worried about Doc’s rotation.  If we get caught with a tired team in the final minutes against the Cavs…..you can pencil in a loss. 

I am quite concerned.   

[wdleehi]

It's playoff time.



Unless it is a blowout, top players should be in the 40 minute range.

[BudweiserCeltic]

3 days of rest.

The only one I'm actually a bit concerned about is Rondo.

Pierce 38.6 for the series.
Ray Allen, 35.2
Rondo 42 minutes.

Seems more than right. I wish Rondo was a bit lower so that he could play with more consistent energy defensively.

[Brendan]

It was also a close out game at home - lose game 5 and you might have to play two more times, you definitely have to travel to Miami and back, etc.

Playing the starters a lot ensured three days without a game (I think series starts Sat.) allowing for practice and rest.

[Brendan]

The only one I'm actually a bit concerned about is Rondo.
...
Rondo 42 minutes.
...
I wish Rondo was a bit lower so that he could play with more consistent energy defensively.

Yes and no - Rondo off the court is bad news. Nate is not a great option with this teams overall system on D and offense. Tony Allen and Finley have locked down the guard/wing minutes. Resting Rondo more means more time with TA/RA/PP running point.

[Donoghus]

It's playoff time.



Unless it is a blowout, top players should be in the 40 minute range.

Yup.

[droopdog7]

Not worried about the minutes but the rotation is something Doc has to think about.  I said this a while back and it looks like we will have to deal with it now. 

What I said was that I did not think that TA and Quis could play together come playoff time because neither could shoot.  Well, even though Quis isn't playing, we saw very clearly that Miami played a special defense when TA and Rondo were in the game.  And boy did that zone work.  We need to be prepared for other teams to do something similar.

So it seems we may be trouble with TA and Rondo on the court.  The solution, none of which is ideal, is to either play TA mostly with Finley or to play Rondo over 40 minutes a game.

[Chris]

Not in the least.  I was actually talking to my dad on the way home from the game last night about how it just seemed like the C's were so much fresher than the Heat (particularly Wade).  Pierce and Allen in particular really did not have to work that hard offensively.  They were getting so many shots off of passes, and it was just so smooth. 

[Fafnir]

Doc did this in game 3 to try and steal the first game in Miami as well. It worked out both times he tried it, and in both situations we had 3 days of rest coming up. (well if we won game 5 we had three days at least)

I like it, I don't think its sustainable over a 7 game series where we aren't getting multiple days off though.

Still as wideload says, its the playoffs 40 mins is going be the default for our starters...

[Mr October]

What I saw in minute per game in Miami is what I expect against Cleveland (aside from occasional foul trouble).

Rondo: 42
Ray: 35 -> should increase to 38
Pierce: 38
KG: 35
Perkins 28
Davis 22
the rest of the team: 37 mins divided

..and I have no problem with these minutes. This is why their minutes were kept in check all season. This is why they coasted through a lot of games hoisting jumpers, not hustling. Their bodies have been preserved for this.

This is the switch that was flipped. And it will remain on.

[2short]

I feel our rotation minutes are going to depend on who we are playing.  With wade gone, ta minutes might go down a bit and we might see some daniels to help with lebron.  I'd hope we can see nate help out in the next series.  Or give the backup pg minutes to ta if he can continue to do well there

[looseball]

I don't think the big three can maintain the energy level at 40 minutes a game.  Two years ago they could, and they might be able to once or twice in a seven game series, but if asked to do it on a consistent basis will wear down, and not be able to make stops in the 4th quarter.
Even though this is the playoffs, and there are days off, it's still a grind, and will begin to take its toll in the Cleveland series.  With older guys the law of diminishing returns sets in.

I still think this year's team plays best when a lot of guys play a lot of minutes. 

[Change]

Remember the Goal is to win a championship. This isn't the regular season. Its the playoffs. You go all out.

[Eddie20]

Not worried. The games are spread apart and we don't play until Sat.

[slamtheking]

not worried.  the regular season didn't overburden the starters with minutes unlike last year.  the bench is deeper than last year if needed.  the games and series are farther apart allowing more rest which is an advantage to older teams like ours.