Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James waits for the game to resume in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Tyronn Lue on LeBron James' Minutes: 'Got to Be Smart About the Situation'

Adam WellsMay 1, 2018

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue hopes to ease the burden on LeBron James in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Toronto Raptors.

"Just got to be smart about the situation," Lue said, via ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "I know he wants to play and play a lot, but we've got to be smart because we play every other day, so there's not a lot of time really to recover."

Lue's comments come after James said he was exhausted following the Cavs' 105-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 on Sunday.

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"I'm burnt right now," an exhausted James told reporters. "I'm not thinking about Toronto right now until tomorrow. I'm ready to go home. Can we? I'm tired. I want to go home."

James played 43 minutes in Game 7 against the Pacers. He averaged 41.1 minutes per game in the series after leading the NBA with 36.9 minutes per game during the regular season.

Lue noted that James only looks tired "after the game, but not during the game."

The Cavaliers, who have won the Eastern Conference in each of the previous three seasons, will play the Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Tuesday at Air Canada Centre.