NEW YORK -- There is a reason JR Smith won't say when asked if he's finally found his rhythm, and at the best possible time with the playoffs just a game away.

He's been asked before, after a good game or two, and gone right back into the tank.

"Man every time you guys ask me that question I go in a slump, so I'm not going to answer it," said Smith, who who scored 16 points with seven rebounds in the Cavs' 123-109 win over the Knicks on Monday.

What Smith will say, unequivocally, is he likes his new role coming off the Cavs bench. The strangest part of that, though, is how hard he fought to keep a spot in coach Tyronn Lue's starting lineup all season, and how bummed he was when he lost it for three games to start the year when Dwyane Wade opened the season as the Cavs' starting shooting guard.

Smith held the position from Game No. 4 until March 13, when, after a season of disappointment and inconsistency, Lue moved him to the bench for good.

And in the last 15 games, all off the bench, Smith is shooting shooting .489 from 3-point range (compared with .377 for the season).

"This is probably the most comfortable role I've fit in since my career started in the NBA," said Smith, who is in his 14th NBA season. "Majority of my career I've been a sixth-man type of guy and coming off the bench, so it's easier to revert back.

"The best part is we get out and run," Smith said. "When you get out and run with the first unit, they want to slow it down, get Bron to get the other guys open, stuff like that, so it's just fun."

Smith has made comments like this at times throughout this season when he's gone to the second unit -- that playing the last four years as a starter with LeBron James confined Smith to being a spot-up shooter.

Smith's primary role in the playoffs last season was to defend the opponent's primary scorer. Lue said that role will go to Green this time, especially since Smith is no longer a starter.

"I think starting Jeff on whoever J.R. was going to start on, and then bring J.R. in early so it still could work," Lue said. "I think he's been really good defensively. I think his energy is good defensively. Offensively coming off the bench we're able to run more stuff for him. I think in that first unit it's hard when you have Kevin and LeBron and guys you have to get going.

"Coming off the bench you're able to run plays for him and get him going is good for us."

LeBron to play in all 82

Lue said he and his staff have only begun discussing how they're going to handle the season finale in terms of playing the regular or sitting them to ensure health for the playoffs.

But LeBron James took the suspense out of his status for Wednesday's season finale.

James said he will play, marking the first time in his 15 seasons he will have played in all 82 games.

"I'm healthy, so, I'm playing," said James, who went for 26 points and 11 assists Monday.

Don't get any ideas of James stepping on the court for the jump ball and then heading to the bench, either. He's got an NBA record of 872 consecutive games with at least 10 points to protect.

Kevin Love says LeBron's the best in the world at this

When the playoffs start this weekend, the Cavs will have one, if not two rotation players with no playoff experience in Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

The team will also have played zero games or one game as a full squad (the Cavs haven't played any games together without someone missing since the Feb. 8 trades), depending on who's available Wednesday against the Knicks.

The Cavs will of course have to make sure they escape the first round by winning four times. But, beyond that, they'll look to use the early rounds to improve and get on the same page before things get really series in the conference finals or even Finals.

"LeBron is probably not only the best in the world but also the best at making his teammates better, so, he's going to bring those guys along fast and we have a bunch of savvy veterans that know what to expect and get the job done," Kevin Love said.

Nance Jr. fighting for playoff minutes

Nance posted 10 points and six boards Monday in what was his second-best game since returning to the court following a right hamstring strain.

The best was the first one, when he scored 15 points and 10 rebounds against Phoenix on March 23. He hadn't scored more than seven in any game since.

"It's definitely something that's going on," Nance said. "It's hard to refind a rhythm and just get your timing back and everything like that. But playing with these guys it's pretty easy, you know, I'm getting layups and dunks. It's just a timing thing."

Nance was referring to James, among others, feeding him for dunks against the Knicks.

With Green starting, both Nance and Tristan Thompson are coming off the bench. Though they played together Monday, it could be difficult for Lue to use them both in playoff games when the rotation shrinks.

"That's not my job to think about, not my job to decide," Nance said.

Lue's Wednesday lineup decisions

Back to the lineup for Wednesday. The Cavs have three players (George Hill, Jose Calderon, and Kyle Korver) who played Monday on minutes restrictions because of nagging injuries.

Rodney Hood missed the game with a sore left Achilles. Love dinged his right hip but stayed in the game.

Yes, the finale could matter for playoff seeding (third seed over the fourth), but...

"I know guys are trying to be tough and tough it out but that's not smart right now," Lue said. "We've got to be smart going into the playoffs, make sure we're as close to 100 percent healthy as we can be."