Marquis to see more playing time?

[Roy Hobbs]

Celts coach Doc Rivers knows his substitutes will be very important against the Cavaliers.

“We don’t need them all, but we need a couple in every series,” Rivers said. “This is a series we may need Marquis because of LeBron (James). He’s done decent against him.”

Before Daniels tore ligaments in his left thumb, requiring surgery in December, he was indispensable off the pine. That was evident in the season opener in Cleveland six months ago when the subs saved the day, and Daniels led the way with a plus-11.

Now he’s hoping for a similar opportunity.

“He told me to be ready for it,” Daniels said of Rivers. “I’ve just been trying to stay upbeat and positive about whatever goes on, so whenever my name’s called or my number’s called, I’ll be ready.”

Being ready for LeBron James is a tenuous proposition at best.

“The guy can do a lot of good things,” Daniels said. “If he gets his jump shot going, he can drive and pass the ball extremely well. The best you can do is just try to make it uncomfortable for him.”

Link.

I expect that Doc will still stick with a shortened rotation.  Does this suggest that Tony may be the odd man out?  Or will both guys still get time?

[BudweiserCeltic]

I like Tony defending LeBron, but I think this will also be an example of spreading fouls among the wings to keep Pierce and Ray out of foul trouble, and to a lesser extent Tony. Of course, if Tony is doing a poor job, I don't think Doc will hesitate at all to give Daniels some run.

[rondohondo]

Daniels doesn't have the foot speed to stay in front of lebron. TA does but he is giving up about 4 inches and weight. They will both be used to smack Lebrons elbow and use their fouls. I don't really mind if the Cavs get into the penelty . Shaq, Jamison and Lebron aren't the clutchest of free throw shooters....

[mgent]

I'm surprised to see Doc say he's done decent against LeBron.  From what I've seen this season I don't think Marquis can handle him at all.  I mean, LeBron has a good 60+ pounds on him.  I'd go with Tony over Marquis, although he's not a great option either.  I think the key is to have Paul in the game whenever LeBron is.

[PosImpos]

Honestly, nobody on our bench really matches up well with LeBron at all.  Finley comes closest since he's 6'7'', but he's too old and slow to do the job.  I'm fine with Daniels defending perimeter SGs and TA defending slashers, but neither is really equipped to defend a big 6'8''+ PF with a diverse game.

Pierce is the only player on our team who has anything close to the tools to defend LeBron.

[Big_Matt34]

I think TA's spot is safe unless he plays terribly, not only will they need him defending Lebron, but he will be needed to defend Delonte and even Mo Williams at times. While Quis has 3 inches on TA, i believe there is only about a 1 inch difference in wingspan. Tony is probably stronger and definately has quicker feet on defense which is more important than height against Lebron because you gotta keep him infront of you.

I think its more liklely Finley is the odd man out this series, he is the last wing we wanna see on Lebron, and didnt really do anything against the Heat. I think Tony will get around the 16 mpg he got in the Heat series because ontop of defending Lebron for stretches, he is going to be the backup pg. Then i expect Quis/Finley to share the rest of the minutes, depending on the matchups and if we need help on offense or defense.

[Donoghus]

Expand the rotation a bit early on in the series (Games 1 & 2, maybe?), see who proves more effective on Lebron and then tighten things up again.  

I'd rather do that than abandon Tony all togetherto start and Doc not realizing the Marquis is ineffective until halfway through Game 2 or 3 before throwing TA back out there.

[gar]

Time for Gaffney - our secret weapon
Really think dropped the ball by not dealing with this match up sooner. Also think we will have trouble with rebounding due to the quickness of Hickson and Varejo.

[Fafnir]

I think they gave Tony so much burn because of his ability to guard Wade. So using Marquis on LeBron makes sense, if he plays well.

If he blows his chance I think Tony takes back his minutes.

[Hoops]

Expand the rotation a bit early on in the series (Games 1 & 2, maybe?), see who proves more effective on Lebron and then tighten things up again.  

I'd rather do that than abandon Tony all togetherto start and Doc not realizing the Marquis is ineffective until halfway through Game 2 or 3 before throwing TA back out there.

Totally agree. The only thing I'd add is they might not want to tighten the rotation - it might be best to mix it up with Tony and Marquis throughout the whole series. Mixing it up could possibly help prevent LeBron from getting into a flow. Defenders don't need flow, they just need to bust their tail and play hard.

[Big_Matt34]

I think they gave Tony so much burn because of his ability to guard Wade. So using Marquis on LeBron makes sense, if he plays well.

If he blows his chance I think Tony takes back his minutes.

Going what by Doc said, i think it will be the exact opposite. He says they may need Quis, to me that makes it sound as though he will get a chance if Tony/Finley are struggling or get in quick foul trouble.

[Roy Hobbs]

I think they gave Tony so much burn because of his ability to guard Wade. So using Marquis on LeBron makes sense, if he plays well.

If he blows his chance I think Tony takes back his minutes.

That's how I see it.  If Tony was on a hot streak, I'd assume that he was staying in the rotation.  However, he had a very mediocre series against Miami after Game 1.  I think he may be the odd man out.

[Jon]

Given the foul trouble that all the wings will likely get into, they'll probably need all three.  Something else to consider: with Jamison getting big minutes at the 4, will we see more of the small lineup?  There's really no reason that PP or Finley can't guard him.  Jamison is listed at 6-9 235, which makes him (when weight and height are considered together) smaller that LeBron. 

Putting PP on Jamison and Ray on Delonte would keep both out of foul trouble and allow Marquis and TA to go all out for 20-25 mpg on LeBron without having to worry about fouls and fatigue. 

[nickagneta]

I think the odd man out will be Michael Finley. Tony and Baby will still see the lion's share of the bench minutes, Rasheed will get his 12-14 minutes per game and Daniels will take over Finley's 9-10 minutes per game because defense on Lebron will be more important that an extra few points off the bench from the SF position.

Just my 2 pennies.

[moiso]

Whoever hits Lebron's elbow first gets extra minutes.