WALTHAM - While the news of Leon Powe’s season-ending ACL tear will dominate discussion today, a look for something more positive found Stephon Marbury shooting for better than a half hour after most of his teammates left the court.
Marbury worked up a furious sweat and hit more than 100 3-pointers (OK, not in a row) before finally calling it quits. At times during the workout, he had to pause to catch his breath and was bent over with hands on his knees.
It was very similar to the workout that Rajon Rondo has been doing after many practices the second half of the year.
“When we don’t play, and then we don’t practice the next day, you’ve got to do something,” he said. “So I do all basketball stuff instead of running on the tread mill.”
Marbury has played just 10 minutes in each of the first two playoff games, scoring just two points on 1-of-6 shooting, but there is a feeling that trend could soon change in a big way.
Rivers said after Game 1 that he needs to play Marbury more and said today that Marbury has been the team’s best defender on Ben Gordon in the series.
Add in Rajon Rondo’s right ankle sprain and there could be a lot more Marbury on the horizon.
Either way, he is doing his best to stay ready.
“I’ve never been in this position before,” he said of seeing limited minutes. “It’s tough, but at the same time, it’s the situation and I’m happy to be able to have a situation from the situation that I came from.
“It’s difficult, but at the same time you get an opportunity.”
When Marbury spent a lot of time out of the lineup in New York he was in exile, so this is, indeed, a new perspective.
“I mean, you take it in stride as far as when you get in the game, but at the same time you are watching the game to see what the other guys aren’t doing, and when you are in there you try to correct those mistakes,” he said. “Then when they watch you, they see ‘OK, he’s getting up on him and forcing him to go left.’
“That’s what I’ve got to do (with Gordon). I’ve got to get up on him.”
For all the negative that we heard about Marbury - and there was a lot to hear for anyone willing to listen - he has been nothing like as described during his two months in Boston.
He has been complimentary of teammates, polite to the media, and seems to have maintained a great enthusiasm about being in Boston even though his play has probably not been as strong as he’d hoped.
Score one for the merits of fresh starts.
First of all, nice to see Steph putting in the hard work. Secondly, Marbury has not been our best defender on Gordon, better than Eddie and Ray, yes, but not the best, that would be Tony Allen. If Doc wants to stop Gordon, why doesn't he go with Tony?
If Marbury can give us something offensively, that will be great, and 10 minutes per game is definitely low on the minutes side, but I don't know if he should get THAT many more.
