All Eyes on J.J. Redick
Written by Jareth Cutestory   
Monday, 04 May 2009 10:29



J.J. Redick went from being the kid who sits alone at lunch, to the most popular guy in school in a matter of days.

Starting the season backing up Mikael Pietrus, he eventually succumbed that role to rookie Courtney Lee, who eventually pushed Pietrus to the back up role as well. This left J.J. as an emergency sub. At best, he would come in garbage time and rack up a few points. At worst, he sat on the bench. Forgotten. Sure, injuries struck Pietrus, and J.J. would fill in admirably. But once Pietrus returned, J.J.'s minutes became sporadic once again.

All throughout his NBA career, he has never been given consistent minutes on a nightly basis. Now, this will all change. This is the moment Redick has been waiting for 3 years. His time in the spotlight again. Playing for Duke, he was the guy. You want points? Give it to Redick. Who is your star player? Redick. Who takes the last shot with 2.3 seconds to go for the win? Redick.

Now don't get me wrong, J.J. won't be the man on offense, or the star player of the series. He will still be more then likely the 4th option. But to him, this is the spotlight again. He is going to get atleast 30 minutes a game. He will have a role again. And his play against Boston will have a huge effect on the outcome of this series. Can he hold Ray Allen in check to the best of his ability? Can he score when called upon? Can he get the ball into Dwight like he did during the regular season so well? These are the questions going through Magic fans, coaches, and teammates heads.

It will be key for J.J. to get into some type of groove early on. Boston will try to keep the recently on fire Rashard Lewis, the streaky but dangerous Hedo Turkoglu, and the reinstated Dwight Howard in check. This should leave J.J. open as usual for a couple of gimmes, in which Boston will let him have to see if he can handle the pressure. The result of his first couple shots will determin what kind of night he will have.

It's also vital J.J. gets the ball into Dwight. He is arguably one of the better passers on our team, especially feeding Dwight in the paint. His basketball IQ is one of his strengths, and he doesn't turn the ball over very often. This will help alleviate pressure on Rafer Alston, who will have the pesky Rajon Rondo guarding him.

If and when Courtney Lee returns, it is up to Redick to step up his game. It's time to pretend he is wearing the other blue and white again, and to help this team advance to the ECF for the first time since the Shaq era.

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We are Terry and The Pump Fakes, Jareth Cutestory, Vile Feminista, Maxwell Effort, I 3 Freely, Paul Ego, Supply and Demand, El Fantasma de Carlos, The Big Train, The Nickel Steak, Ayo!, and Tyson J. Perfect. Together, we are Magic fans. We remember Nick’s steal against Jordan, Billy Donovan, Scott Skiles, Jerryl Sasser and Reece Gaines, The Mac Attacks, the NBA on NBC, and Grant Hill’s ankle. We also watch TV and read the internet, thus noticing the endless flow of unoriginal Orlando Magic related puns. We have combined to discuss the Magic, the NBA, and from time to time supply side economics and the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Together we are The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me.

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