It appears that guard J.J. Barea will be slotted into the starting lineup tonight in place of DeShawn Stevenson for Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
An Internet report circulated this afternoon about the possibility and a source has confirmed that there is a chance – but no guarantee – that Barea will be on the court for tipoff, which would mean the Mavericks are looking for a faster tempo.
Barea started just two games in the regular season, during early February, when Shawn Marion was coming off the bench, meaning the Mavericks have never used the starting lineup of Barea, Marion, Dirk Nowitzki,
Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd.
Barea has hit just 5-of-23 shots in the Finals. If he starts, he clearly will be matched up with Mike Bibby defensively and will be looked for to speed up the game at the offensive end.
Eddie Sefko
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