By JessicaCamerato
CSNNE.com
BOSTON -- Ray Allen entered Sundays game against the Orlando Magic six 3-pointers shy of breaking the all-time record.
J.J. Redick would do his best to make sure it wasnt shattered on his watch.
Redick is one of the few players in the league who can effectively defend Allen on the perimeter. It's something he's been working on since he was at Duke University, studying up on Allen, Reggie Miller, and Rip Hamilton.
You have to keep a body attached to him at all times, Redick told CSNNE.com prior to the Celtics' 91-80 win over the Magic. They run a lot of catch-and-shoot sets for him and they screen really well. It's a very difficult task for anybody because he is a great player moving without the ball. When you combine that with Rajon Rondo's passing and their big guys screening, it's tough.
Redick finds the task of guarding Allen to be more mental than physical. After playing the Celtics frequently during the regular season and facing them in the past two postseasons, he has familiarized himself with the Celtics sets.
Allen shot 19 percent (8-for-42) from 3-point range during the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Magic, including two straight games without a trey. Last season he shot 42 percent from long-range in the Eastern Conference Finals, but shot 0-for-5 and 1-for-3 during certain games in the series.
Boston Celtics
A lot of it is kind of memorizing their plays and knowing what's coming, Redick said. You have to have an awareness of what their plays are. You really have to lock in because they run a lot of misdirection. If you know it's coming, you can really be locked into him.
Allen notices Redicks attentiveness to him. He shot 2-for-4 from long-range on Sunday, now four treys away from the record.
Hes trying to force me over certain ways, Allen told CSNNE.com. But there isnt a great deal of pressure on me to shoot the ball every time. Just make the right play.
Redick hoped that Allen would not break the record against the Magic. Now that Allen is on the next opponent, though, Redick looks forward to him claiming the mark.
I know he will break that record at some point, and congrats to him, said Redick. He is, I think, the greatest shooter ever.
Jessica Camerato is on Twitter athttp:twitter.comjcameratoNBA