Cavs to rest LeBron, Shaq for last regular season game

ATLANTA (AP) — LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal will make their next appearance together in the playoffs.

Both James and O'Neal were sitting out Cleveland's regular-season finale against the Atlanta Hawks tonight, coach Mike Brown announced after the teams' morning shootaround.

Although Brown worried about a lack of chemistry heading into the playoffs, he was more concerned about the top-seeded Cavaliers suffering a needless injury to one of their key players.

When asked how close he came to suiting up either player against the Hawks, Brown said, "It was not close at all."

The regular-season finale means nothing to either team. The Cavaliers have already locked up the No. 1 spot in the East and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, while Atlanta has clinched the No. 3 seed in the conference.