Gino's Jungle

Before the NBA released their 2009-2010 schedule the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers scheduled a preseason game for October 21st. What these teams didn't know is that they would open the regular season against each other six days later. The result of this scheduling: The Big Three, and possibly, Rondo and Perkins sitting out the final preseason game in Cleveland.

Doc River's on the playing time of the starters during the final preseason games, Via the Boston Globe:

"They're going to play Sunday and Tuesday, None of them are playing on Wednesday, I can tell you that now. Very few of them will play on Wednesday."

Not playing our better players is a very good idea, espically with a team like Cleveland. One good reason for this is to prevent injury to any key players, we all know Cleveland is becoming a rival and we do not want things getting ugly with our best players in there. It is also a good idea to do this so that Cleveland does not get a good luck at what we have. If we are playing them in six days we do not want them knowing everything we have worked on during the off-season.

It is unclear whether or not Cleveland will play their key players in the final preseason game, but I would assume we will not see names like Lebron James or Shaquille O'Neal.

Doc also stated that just because they are not playing in the final preseason game this does not mean they do not have a lot of things to still work on.

Via the Boston Globe:

"We've got a lot to work on, We're not worried about it. We've got most of our defense in, some of our offense in. But they know how to play together, so we've just got to keep working on the little things. What we teach every day is how we play, not how everybody else plays basketball. I think our guys are doing a great job of that."

After going to the practice last night I would think we are ready to go, but this just shows you how good these guys really have to be to win games night in and night out. On a side note, the defensive drills at the practice last night were intense, I can understand why the defense is ready to go, Tom Thibodeau is a defensive genius!!!!!!