I like that Ray Allen versus Vince Carter matchup offensively.
Ray is very comfortable playing against Carter. Knows how to take advantage of his flaws. Gets good shot attempts against Carter. And, once Boston has Ray Allen going offensively, they are a very difficult team to beat.
I think Ray Allen will have a much better series against Orlando this season than a year ago when he was facing Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus.
If I were SVG, I'd put Carter on Pierce (similar players, similar body types) and have Pietrus or Redick cover Ray. But Barnes is staying in their starting lineup, so I guess that won't happen. Barnes is too slow to cover Pierce.
I would stick with Barnes on Pierce. Barnes has bothered Pierce this season and I like his size and length against Paul.
Also, I think that would just create a larger problem for the Magic defensively. I don't think Vince Carter can cover Paul Pierce and I think Paul can do more damage than Ray can.
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Matt Barnes is also one of the best rebounding small forwards in the NBA and is one of the main reasons why Orlando has improved on the backboards. I would be reluctant to drop him without getting a large bump somewhere else to make up for those extra boards.
And, Vince, to be fair, Vince is a very good rebounder too. The Magic get a lot of rebounding contributions from their two starting wing players. It has helped offset Rashard Lewis' lack of rebounding.