INDEPENDENCE — The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled to stay healthy all season. This has led to them having 41 different starting lineup combinations and just three players participating in 65 or more games. For context, a team like the Boston Celtics had 23 different starting lineup combinations and nine players available for 65 or more gams.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, things are trending in the right direction heading into the start of the playoffs on Saturday. Head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed that 14 of the team’s 15 players were full participants in what Atkinson described as a “real practice.” That includes Jarrett Allen (knee), Donovan Mitchell (ankle), and Sam Merrill (hamstring), who were on the injury report late in the regular season.
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The one player who wasn’t a full participant was Thomas Bryant. He was still able to do some on-court work. Atkinson noted that he was “surprisingly ahead of schedule” with the calf injury he’s been dealing with.
Being healthy has allowed them to focus on one of the most important aspects of succeeding in the playoffs, and one of the things that let them down last postseason: Conditioning.
Conditioning has been an overarching focus of practice this week. The Cavs want to be prepared to take on a Toronto Raptors team that plays at one of the fastest paces in the league. They’ve done circuit training with the VersaClimber to get ready for playoff intensity. However, that preparation didn’t just start this week. It’s been a focus for this group for almost a year.
“It wasn’t just about yesterday’s [circuit training],” Atkinson said. “It’s about June and July. We’ve done a lot of things in the offseason and in-season to be ready for the intensity and physicality. It’s going to be a big part of this series.”
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