To Play or Not To Play?

Do you remember when Ginobili broke his arm in the last game of the 2011 regular season? It was a meaningless game as the Spurs already locked up the first seed and Phoenix was already eliminated from playoff contention. Yet Popovich decided to play the Big 3 despite resting them the night before against the Lakers. Why would he do such a thing? The answer is to remain sharp and avoid rust.

This year the Spurs face the same situation, that is end the regular season with two meaningless games. The difference is last year the Spurs were struggling down the stretch losing 8 of their last 12 games and this year the Spurs are the hottest team in basketball. Like he has done all season, Popovich must continue his balancing act and decide if the risk of possibly losing a key player to injury is worth keeping the team sharp.

In my opinion, Popovich should rest his stars just to make sure history does not repeat itself. If the Big 3 play, the worst case scenario is that they lose a key member of the team to an injury. On the other hand, the worst case scenario is the team loses some momentum heading into the playoffs and not sharp to start their series versus Utah or Denver. To me the answer is simple, the Big 3 should rest and avoid all risk as they gear up for a championship run.

Pop please rest your stars and do not do anything stupid to hurt the team's chance at a title.