Game 1 Thoughts

Jameer Nelson will be the undoing of the Magic. Any chemistry switch will mess this team up bad.

 

I hesitate to draw this comparison because it is probably too early and he is injured buthere it is: Nelson is like Tracy McGrady, the superstar whose amazing playing abilities somehow negatively affect his team in playoff situations.

 

Nelson, from what I saw in Game 1, is messing with Rafer Alston. Alston, the point guard to got the Magic this far, is and will continue to have trouble adjusting to playing off the bench as part of a point-guard-by-committee, if you will, with both him and Nelson sharing time. And because Nelson is an All-Star the playing time will be very close to equal and it shouldn’t be. Alston is obviously very capable of leading the Magic, as he has shown so far and he is the one who has shown ability to lead this team through the playoffs. Why mess with success?

 

Alston thought point guard for the Orlando Magic was his gig and now there is a new guy stepping in and taking his playing time. His confidence will be destroyed. Having two players capable of competing and pushing each other is usually beneficial for both players, but not when the competition begins in the NBA Finals. This situation makes everything unclear for both players.

 

From what I have seen and experienced, being in positions similar to this is this: Both want to lead the team. Both are competitors and don’t want to be over-shadowed by another player at their own position. Alston is scared of losing his job and Nelson isn’t sure how much he should be doing and he probably feels like it is still his team. Neither player’s focus should be on either of these things. Their focus should be on the Finals, the biggest games of their lives. If Stan Van Gundy was a better coach he would understand this.

Jameer Nelson should not be playing. He is too hurt to contribute that much (watch as I eat those words), and all he is doing now is screwing with starting the point guard, the quarterback of the team. That cannot happen if the Magic want to win.

Photo from si.com. Please don't sue me.