From JLew1050: Raptors opting for late-season rest over practice time:
TORONTO – Roughly 90 minutes after scoring 38 points and hitting the game-winner against Portland last week, Toronto Raptors star“There’s 82 games and for me these are just practices,” the veteran forward told reporters Friday evening. “And playoffs is when it’s time to lace them up.”
Leonard, a former Finals MVP and NBA champion, understands that more than most. And so, every decision they make, particularly as we get closer to the postseason – which opens on the weekend of Apr. 13 – is being made with the end goal in mind.Truth is Toronto doesn’t have much left to play for over these final 17 games. First place is still within reach, though catching Milwaukee will be difficult. The Bucks have a 2.
When Leonard said the games are his practices, he may have meant it more literally than you would think. “It’s just that time of year,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “I think we’ve played some really tough games lately, really tough, close, physical, good teams, high level. There’s just not much use [in practising some days]. We got home at 12:30 [a.m. Monday morning], you’re gonna drag ’em out of bed and what are you gonna get out of the main guys anyway? We do a lot of skill work on those days, anyway, and treatments, and just about every guy hits the gym anyway.
Like most teams, the Raptors have lived this shift in philosophy. When former head coach Dwane Casey first came to Toronto in 2011, his practices would often exceed three hours and skipping a session was rare. Of course, those were bad teams, they were young and culture around the league was very different than it is today.
Some of those would have been league-mandated days off. The NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement requires each team to provide their players with a minimum of 18 days off during the regular season. On those days, according to the CBA, players aren’t obligated to participate in any team directed activities, including games, practices, travel, etc., though that doesn’t prohibit them from coming in to workout voluntarily.
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