"Being as close as we are off the court, you never want a good friend of yours to go through a season like this," James said. "I haven't been through a season like this and I'm blessed and happy I haven't, but I could only imagine going out every night not knowing if your teammates are going to compete or if you're going to win. You're not able to compete because of the personnel you have on the court.

"It's a tough situation for this year and I was happy he shut it down to try to give his body some rest and get ready for next year."

--Miami, which has used a franchise-record 29 starting lineups, has used a franchise-record 18 players in those starting lineups. The previous franchise high was 17 players during the 1995-96 season. Miami has had 22 players appear in a game, which ties a franchise record established in 1995-96.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'll sit down and have a conversation with (Heat owner) Micky (Arison) and then we'll talk about the direction we're going to go." -- Coach Pat Riley, on whether he'd return to coach next season.