Doc: Playing Starters Too Few Minutes Does More Harm Than Good

There's nothing wrong with getting these guys some extra rest View full size photo uploaded October 6, 2009 Many fans have called for Doc Rivers to play the starters vastly reduced minutes this season, mostly to keep the "big three" fresh for the playoffs.  According to Doc, it isn't going to happen: While Rivers said it sounds good in theory to limit his starters to less than 30 minutes a night to prevent injury and excess fatigue before the postseason, he believes that holding them back would do more harm than good. "You have to play your starters for a certain amount of minutes," Rivers said. "People think that if you can play them 28 minutes a night that’s good, but that’s awful. If you look historically, Michael Jordan never played under 37 minutes a night. There is a reason for that — rhythm. You have to keep your rhythm during the season. [Playing fewer minutes] soun...