While a potential nine-day layoff between the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals sounds like torture to some, it probably sounds like heaven to LeBron James right about now.
His Cleveland Cavaliers are one win away from a week-plus siesta, one that would surely be welcome. An exhausted James nearly asked out of Sunday's Game 3 overtime session due to a right knee injury, collapsed to the floor in exhaustion at the final buzzer, and is dealing with a wealth of general wear-and-tear.
While James was adamant Sunday that he won't miss Game 4 on Tuesday - "No chance at all," he said - fatigue would be understandable. He's averaging 41.6 minutes in the playoffs and is being tasked with using 36.6 percent of the Cavs' offensive possessions, an incredible workload even for the four-time MVP.
To keep himself going, James is reportedly undergoing around-the-clock treatment.
"I've been better, I've been worse," James said. "If you want to win you've got to sacrifice your body."
He had a wrap around his right calf at practice Monday and is believed to be dealing with right knee, right ankle, and back issues. This following a regular season that saw him miss a career-high 13 games, thanks in large part to left knee, back, and wrist ailments.
Despite everything weighing on his body, James managed to turn in an historic performance on Sunday. After the worst shooting start to a game in his career, he managed to finish with a 37-18-13 triple-double, the 12th of his playoff career, and pass Karl Malone for sixth in all-time playoff scoring.
That can't be expected moving forward, but with Kyrie Irving a game-time call again for Game 4, James could do himself a major service by dominating Tuesday. There's rest at the end of the tunnel.
