The Boston Celtics may be within striking distance of the No. 4 seed, and the No. 3 seed isn’t an impossible trek for the Green with 11 games left in the regular season, but Kyrie Irving isn’t stressing out about Boston’s playoff positioning.
“I don’t think our focus is in seeding, that’s pretty clear,” Irving told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia. “As long as we get there, I’m happy.”
So much so that Irving ‘definitely’ plans on sitting some of the C’s remaining 11 games out to get some extra rest.
“I’m definitely taking some games off before the playoffs,” Irving said. “Makes no sense, the emphasis on these regular games, when you’re gearing up for some battles coming in the playoffs.”
This really isn’t anything new, at least from a planning perspective, as the Celtics have already managed the 26-year-old Irving’s workload throughout the season.
While Irving’s value to the Celtics goes without saying — Irving leads the Celtics with 23.7 points per game and is shooting 49.4 percent from the field this season — the Green have managed to give him nights off with things such as a ‘left thigh contusion’ and soreness, which has seen Irving miss 12 games this season.
It obviously makes sense for the Celts, too, as Irving missed the entire 2018 NBA Playoffs due to season-ending knee surgery.
The good news: the 6-foot-3 Irving will be in action tonight as the Celtics visit the 76ers.