Redick Ready for Allen Challenge

Ray Allen is going to kill J.J. Redick in their matchup at shooting guard when the Celtics-Magic series begins Monday night.

But that won't stop Redick from loving the challenge of trying to guard him.

It's like trying to guard your hero.

"Him (Allen), Reggie (Miller) and Rip (Hamilton), those were the guys I watched film of because they were so good at catch-and-shoot stuff, their releases and how they set up their man,'' Redick said Sunday after practice. "I have to be as close as possible to him."

Redick will be getting the start Monday in Game 1 because Courtney Lee is still out after surgery to repair his sinus cavity, a result of a Dwight Howard elbow. It will be the second playoff start for Redick, now in his third NBA season. Allen, by contrast, is one of the greatest pure shooters in NBA history, terrorizing the Bulls in the first round with his dead-eye aim.

Redick was surprisingly good in his first. In the series-ending Game 6 against Philadelphia, Redick hit five of seven 3-pointers for 15 points and four assists. In the previous five games in that first-round series, he managed to play a combined 42 minutes and hit a combined two of nine shots.

"I'm not going to say I want the challenge of guarding Ray Allen because that's bulletin board material, but it's going to be tough. I'll have my hands full,'' he said. "I am a competitor and I was hoping that Boston would win (over Chicago).''