Lue won't rest LeBron, Kyrie until Cavs clinch No. 1

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue is hoping to get some rest for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving before the postseason, but he has no intention of sitting them until the Cavs have sewn up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"If we can take care of business like we're supposed to, I think that we'd like LeBron and Kyrie to get some rest," Lue told reporters Friday, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Lue isn't as concerned about the rest of his rotation, since so many have them have already missed significant time with injuries.

"I think J.R. (Smith) and (Kyle) Korver and Kevin (Love) and those guys should play a little bit because they've been out for so long," he said. "And just try to keep J.R.'s rhythm and establish Kevin's rhythm and the same thing with Kyle.

"So the most important guys right now are Kyrie and LeBron, just trying to get those guys some rest if we can."

James ranks second in the NBA in minutes per game this season, but thanks to semi-regular nights off, is just ninth in total minutes. Irving ranks 15th and 37th, respectively.

Despite Friday night's baffling loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland holds a one-game edge on the Boston Celtics for top spot in the conference, with the tiebreaker in hand and three games to play. The Cavs' magic number to clinch home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs is two.