How the Cavs are approaching the final ten regular season games

After a long road trip, the Cavs have a back-to-back to start the final ten-game stretch of the regular season.

With just ten games left in the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the final stages of preparation before the playoffs. But the doesn't mean that things are smooth sailing. The Cavs just finished up a long Western Conference road swing and begin a back-to-back starting tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. They head to Detroit tomorrow to take on the playoff-bound Pistons.

When asked about the lengthy travel and quick turnaround, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was pretty frank about how the team is staying ready.

“It’s just part of it,” Atkinson said. “The first four days out West we were in the air for three days out of the four. It's just part of it. We’ve been preaching to the guys get your rest, get your recovery, take care of your bodies as well as you can.

“It sounds corny, sounds like I’m their dad, but it’s really the reality when you're in a stretch like this.”

The Cavs opted to not hold practice on their lone day off in-between the road trip and their first home game in weeks, a decision that was made with player wellness in mind.

“We have a great performance staff and we lean on them a lot,” Atkinson said. “We have two sports scientists that understand sleep studies and all that. At this time of the year it's less about strategy and scouting and more about how can we conserve as much energy and be ready to play a team like this (San Antonio).”

Sports science is something that Atkinson has been a proponent of, dating all the way back to his days with the New York Knicks from 2008-2012. The Knicks were one of the first teams, according to Atkinson, to hire sports scientists.

“As an assistant coach, I used it (sports science) for player development,” Atkinson said. He used an example of working with former Knick Jeremy Lin and asking the sports scientists about ideal practice load and how to manage his effort in between games.

“ I didn’t even know about load and that stuff, and then I started combining the two - what I was going to do on the court with their input - even during practice and development sessions - and I was just fascinated by it,” Atkinson said.

The Cavs are using that sports science philosophy to help manage the minutes and ensure good health rounding into the playoffs. By strategically planning rest for certain players, the Cavs increase their odds of full strength when it really counts - in the postseason.