Give It a Rest

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has himself a problem that refuses to go away—coaches keep resting their star players to keep them fresh both for the regular season and playoffs.  But if someone has put out big money for courtside seats (and the Bulls charge $1,800 at the United Center), that person wants to be able to see LeBron James or Kevin Durant play.

I imagine NBA coaches have rested their stars since the days of Red Auerbach, but it’s a question that merits further research.  In many ways, the Bulls of 1970-71 were my favorite basketball team with Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Chet Walker, Bob Love and Tom Boerwinkle (I didn’t have to look up any of the names).  They were, as the cliché goes, a scrappy bunch coached to overachieve by the maniacal Dick Motta.  The team won 51 games that year before falling to the Lakers in seven during the playoffs.

Here’s where it gets really interesting—the NBA Finals, with the Bucks sweeping the Bullets, ended on April 30; by contrast, the Finals last year ended on June 19.  (In case you’re wondering, the NBA had 17 teams in 1970-71 vs. 30 today.)  Did coaches rest their players in January back then the way they do now, or did they see the season as more of marathon that would all be over in April?  It’s a question one I bet Commissioner Silver wishes he could spend time on rather than the problem he’s got to deal with right now.