Our one-on-one tourney rolls on with a pair of match-ups featuring four pros who are in their prime. This type of contest is sure to be cutthroat; you just know that back in the day Dr. J and Larry Legend would have been up for it. So who do you, our readers pick to move on to the next round?

The premise: (if you know how this tourney operates, feel free to skip down!)

Thanks to all who have voted and/or have taken the time to read this feature so far. Please feel free to comment on any or all future match-ups! The rules are simple. 32 of today’s biggest stars, plus some fantasy forces and a few players of the “x-factor” ilk have been chosen to participate in this exercise. Assume each player is in perfect health and in peak condition, based on their current age and abilities. Suppose these players play each other in a game of one-on-one: games to 11, two points for a three-pointer, and winners out. You can make your comment after each article, or if you like, send me an e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please vote just once for each match-up. If you are so inclined, feel free to make up an imaginary commentary of how you see the battle going down and I will try to include your input in future articles. I am sure Dennis, Sarge and Ron will give me their “10 cents” on the topic when their schedule permits. Of course, if everyone is feeling shy, I will just call it as I would see it! You have one week to vote, then the results will be published and a new pair of match-ups will be announced. So check back here every week!

Review of last week’s match-ups:

Game 5: Tim Duncan vs. Shaquille O’Neal

Our man, Four Twenty, put it pretty succinctly. “The footwork and the fundamentals would really PAY off here.” Both are all-time great players. Both have been decorated as champions multiple times. Ten years into his career, TD could still be great for another decade if he wants to. Meanwhile, Shaq has officially entered Kareem-second-banana status in the twilight of his memorable career. Shaq is cagey enough to still pull it out, but I just see the TD bank being open all night, with the Big Fundamental making repeated withdrawal transactions. Winner: Tim Duncan

Game 6: Shawn Marion vs. Rasheed Wallace

So the Matrix gets dissed again for Defensive Player of the Year? Well, at least he made all-defensive, right? What? He didn’t make it? He was relegated to the second team? WHAT? He didn’t even make the second team? Oh my goodness, I guess all of those fantasy goodies (steals and blocks) just don’t garner enough attention from the old guard.

Don’t worry, Shawn. We show you lots of love here. I think a Matrix unchained and a huge chip on his shoulder is a force to be reckoned with. He can match ‘Sheed in three-point bombs, has the speed and length to guard him straight up, and would use this type of event to showcase his offensive arsenal. These two would be all over the court. The scalpers would make a killing. So let us fly in the face of the prevailing playoff wins, where the Pistons are dominating the Bulls and the Suns are in tough against the Spurs.Winner: Shawn Marion

Now on to this week’s feature matches.

Game 7: Carmelo Anthony vs. Kevin Garnett

Unlike the picture, ‘Melo won’t have the help of the league’s leading shot-blocker (have no fear though, Marcus Camby is booked for an appearance in our tourney). Everyone respects KG. And yes, the West is stacked. But as many have pointed out, other than KG, it is extremely difficult to come up with a superstar where their team missed the playoffs three years running, while said superstar was in their prime. Meanwhile, ‘Melo has made the playoffs every season so far in his young career, but has not been able to navigate his team past the first round. Putting all that aside, this should be a wicked battle.

Game 8: Tracy McGrady vs. Amare Stoudemire

Oh me, oh my. Take a moment and imagine these two taking the court against each other. T-Mac, with no Van Gundy restrictions placed upon him, could showcase his all-around game, including the pass to himself off the backboard type of jam. Amare has proved almost everybody wrong with his stellar play this year. Perhaps he still is not quite as explosive as before, but every time I watch him play, there seems to be just a little bit more added bounce in his step. The question is whether Amare can slow McGrady down on the perimeter, just enough so that he can gain possession. T-Mac is long and lithe enough to play man-to-man D against Amare, but he better not let Amare set up shop down low.

Looking forward to reading the comments. See you next week!

If you are just joining us now, feel free to visit the previous posts.

Round 1, Games 1 and 2

Round 1, Games 3 and 4

Round 1, Games 5 and 6