Kenny Atkinson provides an update on the Cavs’ health ahead of their series against the Raptors
INDEPENDENCE — The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled to stay healthy all season. This has led to them having 41 different starting lineup combinations and only three players appearing 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 games.
Luckily for the Cavaliers, things are trending in the right direction as the playoffs begin on Saturday. Coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed that 14 of the squad’s 15 players participated fully in what Atkinson described as a “real workout”. That includes Jarrett Allen (knee), Donovan Mitchell (ankle) and Sam Merrill (hamstring), who were on the injury report at the end of the regular season.
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The only player who was not a full participant was Thomas Bryant. He was still able to do some work on the field. Atkinson stressed that he was “surprisingly ahead of schedule” due to the calf injury he has been dealing with.
Being healthy has allowed them to focus on one of the most important aspects of playoff success and one of the things that let them down last postseason: conditioning.
Conditioning was the overall focus of practice this week. The Cavs want to be ready to face a Toronto Raptors team that plays at one of the fastest paces in the league. They did circuit training with the VersaClimber to prepare for the intensity of the playoffs. However, the preparation didn’t just start this week. It’s been a focal point for this group for almost a year.
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“It wasn’t just about yesterday [circuit training]”Atkinson said. “This is June and July. We did a lot of things in the offseason and in-season to get ready for the intensity and physicality. It will be a big part of this series.