Live together, die alone…or something.

Zach eluded to it and people don’t give Ray enough credit for being more than just a spot up shooter, say like Reggie Miller. He’s not a Ginobili slasher, but he can get to the rim (and he finishes well to boot) when it’s there. He can come off screens and be a multiple threat: shoot, drive, assist. He’s not a point guard, but he has a very reliable handle and he makes good decisions. He doesn’t have to be the guy he was in Seattle, and he’s learned only to force shots when necessary, like end of shot clock and clutch times. He can also pull up anywhere, 20 feet, foul line, inside the foul line, ANYWHERE when penetration is cut off and hit a J or leaner and he’s near automatic when for most everyone else, it’s a very difficult shot.

This is all a way of saying I agree with Zach; I live and die with Ray any day. Love Eddie, but when a guy can stay with him like the Magic have, he’s almost completely neutralized, he doesn’t curl to the elbow and get a good shot off. He doesn’t get to the rim. He usually (and smartly) just gets it back to the PG to try another play. And I definitely appreciate when Marbury contributes, too. But c’mon! Ray’s head and shoulders above those two. He’s the man. You dance with the one that brought ya. He’s earned that right and that trust many times over.

What do you guys think about playing Ray Allen as many minutes in game 6 –if he’s off to the same rocky start? I’m not saying keep him on the bench when the game’s close in the 4th quarter or anything, but for a lot of the game, if Ray still hasn’t gotten his shot back, I think I’d rather see House or (I can’t believe I’m saying this) Marbury get some more playing time and see how they do.

Everyone keeps saying, “Just wait for him to develop… He’s got loads of potential.” That might be true, but he’s got a lot of work before becoming the dominant player he claims he already is. Drop step? Not there. Hook? Not there. Baby hook? Not there. Ability to face up to players? Not there. Ability to handle the ball on the post? Not there. Little jumper from 7 feet out? Not there. Any low post moves period? Not there. I hope SVGundy plans to change it up tonight. Why not? You’re going to lose this series anyway, so you might as well give Not-so-Superman a chance to win the game for the team. There is nothing to lose, but everything to gain: you either win Game 6 or you get him to shut up and start working on his game. We’ve seen what the Magic are all about, and what they bring to the table. Unfortunately for them, they are playing at their ceiling: this is the best they can do. But the problem is they can’t sustain leads, they don’t have a coach that understands how to change the tempo of a game, and they don’t have a player that can close out a game. You can’t beat a team as good as the Celts w/o those 3 things.