It’s been an up-and-down season for the Boston Celtics, as the team that figured to be the class of the Eastern Conference in the absence of LeBron James finds itself in the middle of the playoff picture as the season comes to a close.
With homecourt advantage beyond the first round no longer a primary concern, or even a realistic goal, for the Celtics, Kyrie Irving announced his intention to de-prioritize the rest of the regular season in order to prepare his body for the postseason. Load management has been the phrase of the 2018-19 season, and Irving seems like the perfect candidate as the regular season winds down.
Kyrie Irving: “I’m definitely taking some games off before the playoffs. It just makes no sense to put emphasis on these regular-season games when you know you’re gearing up for some battles coming in the playoffs.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) March 20, 2019
Irving has played in 59 games this season for Boston out of a possible 71 due to a knee sprain earlier in the year. His season ended after 60 games last year due to surgery on his left knee. The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals and lost in game 7 without their point guard, creating the belief that a healthy Irving would make them favorites this time around.
The 2018 playoffs were not the first time that Irving has missed games in the postseason. He was out for the bulk of the 2015 NBA Finals after fracturing his left kneecap at the end of Game 1. That issue wasn’t even fully resolved until surgery this past summer.
Boston is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the Indiana Pacers for the four seed. The team is three losses behind Philadelphia for the third seed, which is a lot of ground to make up in 11 games, particularly because the Sixers have the third-easiest remaining schedule in the league, per Tankathon. With a matchup against the Pacers in round one all but guaranteed, Irving and the Celtics have clearly decided to let health take precedence over seeding.
The team has two back-to-backs remaining on its schedule, first against Charlotte and San Antonio, and then against Brooklyn and Miami, so expect Irving to miss at least two of those games.
