Magic Moves

by Jeff Clark on May 7, 2009 10:38 PM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

Alston is out for game 3 so we'll see Anthony Johnson starting in his place. Also, it sounds like Courtney Lee is going to play for the first time in this series. So we'll be seeing a different look from their backcourt tomorrow.

Third Quarter Collapse breaks down the impact of these changes:

Let's clear the air first, though. Johnson is a good defender, but he can be exposed defensively when paired up against a quick point guard like Rondo. A.J. lacks the lateral quickness to keep Rajon in front of him, which is a problem. That's why Lee is anticipated to guard Rondo tomorrow some of the time if he ends up playing, because he has the athleticism, size, and speed to make it potentially difficult for Rajon to operate offensively.

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I really can't believe they think..

they don’t lose much with AJ.

Wrong. Sure AJ is a better shooter but when Rondo is burning him OVER and OVER again on the other ends it won’t matter.

by beantownkid10 on May 7, 2009 10:51 PM EDT reply actions

I wouldn't disagree at all.

My post was just taking a look at the offensive side of the ball ..

Doesn’t take an expert to know that the Johnson/Rondo matchup is a mismatch.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on May 7, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions

.. I'll add that's why I said "A.J. is going to have his hands full with Rajon Rondo defensively."

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on May 7, 2009 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh, Alright.

I must have missed that part. Thanks for the correction!

Keep up the good work over there!

by beantownkid10 on May 8, 2009 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions

No worries.

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on May 8, 2009 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions

That's true if ...

the Game 2 Rondo shows up. If the Game 1 Rondo re-surfaces, then all bets are off.

by 33-32-00 on May 8, 2009 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm curious to see how much will A.J. minutes increase

from the first two games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing 15-20 minutes, unless he gets hot from the outside.

When he’s out there, Rondo needs to put full-court pressure on him every other possession, he’ll struggle just to bring the ball up-court. That should take 2 seconds of the shot-clock. Then just keep going to whoever he’s defending. Rondo will probably need to connect some mid-range jumpers this game though.

by cordobes on May 7, 2009 11:41 PM EDT reply actions

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Lee returned to the team on Wednesday — six days after undergoing surgery — but was not activated. He’s likely a game-time decision tonight.

Link.

Third Quarter Collapse: An Orlando Magic blog at SB Nation | Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics Playoff Central

by Evan Dunlap on May 8, 2009 12:34 AM EDT reply actions

Hopefully he'll play.

by C's09Champs on May 8, 2009 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions

I tend to agree

…but you never want them to get another shooter back.

by beantownkid10 on May 8, 2009 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Courtney Lee’s return may not be a good news for the Celtics. His 3 point shooting can further extend the Celtics defense, leaving more room inside for Howard.

With a thin backcourt, the Magic will pound the ball inside to Howard even more. So Perkin and out bigs are under the gun even more.

In any case, the Celtics should finish off the Magic as soon as possible to get some rest before facing the Cavs. Cleveland has won 6 games without barely leaving a finger or two.

by 33-32-00 on May 8, 2009 2:23 AM EDT reply actions

Rondo

I don’t think anybody in the league “has the athleticism, size, and speed to make it potentially difficult for Rajon to operate offensively.”

by Jon on May 8, 2009 6:28 AM EDT reply actions

Only Celtics beat Celtics

Orlando really isn’t as complete a team yet as the Celtics. They really cannot beat the Celtics team that was switching on D, penetrating on O and getting tough body-on-body D on Howard. But, as we know, that team didn’t show up in the first half of game 1.
So….Anthony Johnson, JJ Redick, Jameer Nelson, Rafer Alston….doesn’t matter. What matters is that they leave that locker room with true Celtics game face on.

by Wildblu1 on May 8, 2009 7:08 AM EDT reply actions

Lee's return would be a huge boost for Orlando

Not only for his defense on Rondo but for his shooting and his driving ability, he would “unleash” the Magic offensively in my opinion.

I can’t wait to watch game 3 anyway, and I hope Rondo will take advantage of Johnson when he’ll be defended by the veteran.

by Drucci on May 8, 2009 8:21 AM EDT reply actions

Jameer

Rafer is a solid pro but,,,,Orlando isn’t the same team without Jameer…he is the tough as nail leader that they are missing…Lee’s return will help however, it’ll take a couple of games before he is up to speed and that might be too late…If we force AJ to make decisions (take away his first option) he becomes just another backup PG….

by Fastbreak1 on May 8, 2009 8:27 AM EDT reply actions