LeBron James has played 40 or more minutes in seven of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 17 games so far this season.

James and Tyronn Lue have defended his work load against criticism from media, fans and even rivals such as Draymond Green.

"Yeah, I hear about that all the time," Lue said. "I played with Michael Jordan when he was 39 he played 37 minutes a night. Karl Malone was 37, played 38 minutes a night, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe. Everybody's built different. If you're one of the greats, sometimes you've got to play, sometimes you get rest like tonight."

James said after Monday's win: "You make so much a big thing about my minutes. It's not a huge issue. But at the end of the day, when we can get a win like this, everybody benefits from it. Not just me. Everybody."