As LeBron James goes, so go the Miami Heat.
That in mind, the defending NBA Champions aren't taking any chances with their superstar player's recent bruised right knee. James sat out Thursday's practice and is being carefully monitored, though there is still a chance he will play Friday against Eastern Conference rival Chicago.
James, last season's NBA Most Valuable Player, injured his knee in the second quarter on Wednesday during the Heat's overtime victory against the Mavericks.
In the last five games, James has been working overtime, playing 41.8 minutes a game in a stretch that included narrow wins against Dallas and Orlando and losses against Detroit and Milwaukee.
Although he did not practice on Thursday, James did speak to reporters afterwards, fielding questions about his current condition and whether he will be ready to play on Friday.
"A lot of treatment [Thursday] and hopefully I'll feel a lot better [Friday]," James told the Miami Herald.
While the Heat, with the best record in the East at 22-8, have been rolling along on an 8-2 stretch in the last 10 games, they still have Atlanta to worry about, the Hawks only two games behind them for the lead in the Southeast Division. And with the second half of the season still yet to be played, Miami can't afford to lose their best player.
Although James has been playing a large number of minutes, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is insisting that James' workload isn't a problem at the moment; however, the Heat have been giving James and other veterans time off of practices recently.
"We know that he's been playing constantly for a while, and he doesn't miss many games," teammate Dwayne Wade told ESPN. "But you still have to be prepared just in case [he can't] go, because he does take a beating every night, and he might need [a rest]. I tell him some practice days, 'Hey man, why don't you sit down?' But he doesn't want to. When it comes to games, I can't tell him that. He's not built that way. For him to miss a game, he'd really, really have to be hurt."