This time of year, you can feel the league tighten. Rotations shrink. Benches shorten. And suddenly, that 10th or 11th guy who soaked up regular season minutes disappears. Teams are answering the perennial question: how many guys can you actually trust when every possession matters? This isn’t a modern trend Go back far enough, and the idea of a “deep rotation” barely existed. Under Bill Russell, the Celtics absolutely had depth—but come playoff time, the core tightened. The