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LeBron on regular season: 'I just zone out, when the playoffs start I lock in'

Kevin Liles / USA Today Sports

An extra gear. Flipping the switch. Conserving energy.

You've surely heard these terms used to describe elite teams that look somewhat less than elite during the regular season. Teams who have been there before, the thinking goes, don't need to go all out, all the time, and are afforded the luxury of pacing themselves for the playoffs.

It's likely why the San Antonio Spurs are always casual about resting stars, and why the Miami Heat haven't seemed too concerned with the top seed in the Eastern Conference, at least until it was immediately available late in the year.

If it's looked at times like two-time defending league MVP LeBron James has been employing this strategy on his own, you're an astute viewer. James' averages are more or less identical to 2012-13, but his defense has taken a step back and his efficiency is down slightly from a year ago.

On Saturday, James admitted to taking his foot off the gas at times during the regular season.

"I just zone out," James told Robby Kalland of Hardwood Paroxysm. "When the playoffs start I lock in. I get into the studies of my opponents even more, and just kind of go into a bunker mentality when the playoffs start."

In that same article, Dwyane Wade echoed James' sentiment, though Wade's pacing has been more obvious, with him having sat out 28 games. Ray Allen, the team's elder statesman, agreed that rest and rhythm are of great importance, though they may run counter to each other at season's end.

In any case, these admissions serve as a warning not to be fooled by the Heat's unimpressive regular season performance. They're the league's top offense regardless, but that 11th-ranked defense is sure to rev up when the postseason begins.

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