In a way, he’s a super-sized version of the superstar the Celtics just sent home for the summer. Miami’s Dwyane Wade can go on game-changing scoring binges that the Celtics have no choice but to absorb. But he can’t call for backup.
After trying to carry Cleveland to a title virtually by himself (and nearly doing it) in 2007, James now has complements — from Mo Williams and Shaquille O’Neal to Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao — that will make it difficult for the Celtics to focus on James alone when the teams meet in the second round of the playoffs starting Saturday.
“Obviously,’’ Kevin Garnett said, “it’s going to be similar to Miami with a better cast.’’
Garnett’s spot could be one of the biggest non-LeBron keys to the series. The Cavs picked up Jamison midseason in the Washington Wizards’ clearance sale, getting a power forward who will lure Garnett and the rest of the Boston forwards out to the perimeter.
Jamison is the type of player that haunted the Celtics throughout the season (see: Al Harrington, Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis, Danilo Gallinari).
“The teams that have beaten us are the teams that have 4-men that can shoot the three,’’ Ray Allen said. “It takes Kevin away from the basket. It spreads our defense.’’
It’s also the type of player the Celtics will see in this series (and beyond, if they make it to the conference finals and play Lewis and the Orlando Magic).
Jamison averaged 19.3 points in Cleveland’s five-game first-round series against the Bulls, and he took nearly a third of his shots from 3-point range (7 of 23). He was spelled by Varejao, the sixth-year power forward who plays as if he’s never heard of inertia, making a living off hustle plays and feasting on the Celtics during the regular season by being quicker to get to open spots on the floor.
It’s a matchup problem for the Celtics’ big men, who will have to flip the switch from guarding the post to jumping out to the perimeter, chasing Cleveland’s pseudo-bigs.
