Sorry the posts have been a bit slow over the past couple of weeks. I’m back in the game now. Thanks to Sarge for keeping things going a bit. I’ll post our next two games today, and then will launch the last two games of our first round on Sunday, our usual day for posting the match-ups.

Let’s try to set things up before the Lakers and Spurs tip off for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals!

The premise: (Feel free to skip down if you have been here with us before!)

The rules are simple. 64 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, as well as their ability to work with a team mate. Players are teamed up randomly and each match-up is also determined randomly. Suppose these pairs of players play each other in a game of two-on-two: games to 11, two points for a three-pointer, and losers out (this is a change from last year’s one-on-one tourney where it was winners out). You can make your comment after each article, or if you like, send me an e-mail at alvinl@droppingdimes.com. 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. 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! The players will randomly get a new team mate each round.

Last year’s one-on-one champ, Kobe Bryant, has not been included in the field of 64. Due to his one-on-one prowess, it seems too likely that a Kobe-Player X team would always win. So Kobe, hit the sidelines. I’m sure if Kobe knew about this, he might be a bit miffed at the lack of an invite, but surely he has bigger fish to fry than us!

Recap of last week’s match-ups.

Round 1, Game 11: Sarge set the table well. Our apparently biggest two-on-two fan so far is coop, and he kept his words short and sweet this week. Match Al Jefferson with a better ball handler and I think they could be a tough match-up against two guard-type players. But in a losers out format, the clutch shooting of Chauncey (not always displayed in this year’s playoffs, but the rep is well earned) and the multi-faceted array of skills from Iggy would trump Michael Redd’s shooting. Al Jeff is a solid post player, and not quite sure how Billups and Iguodala would check him, but this tandem is faster and handle the rock better. Winners: Chauncey Billups and Andre Iguodala.

Round 1, Game 12: Jermaine O’Neal and Carlos Boozer could very well own the post, even against Superman. Certainly whomever Manu guards would have an overwhelming size advantage. But maybe that’s the thing. Maybe they play some type of quasi-zone defense where Dwight can guard both guys. Manu can certainly drain the three, so even if the two sides trade baskets, the rest is history. Winners: Dwight Howard and Manu Ginobili.

And now on to this week’s matchups:

Round 1, Game 13: Andrei Kirilenko and Gilbert Arenas vs. Pau Gasol and Richard Hamilton
I feel the need to remind readers of our scenario. These games assume all players are healthy and at their full current capacity in terms of skills. AK-47 and Agent Zero have seen their share of the sidelines, but at full speed this duo would be tough. They play two guys whose teams are still vying for the championship. Rip has been an underrated fantasy player, but his mid-range game could play very well here, especially when paired with a fast big man who has a nice touch in passing the ball.

Round 1, Game 14: Jason Kidd and Jose Calderon vs. Rashard Lewis and Monta Ellis
Three guards and a player in ‘Shard who might go down as one of the best three-point shooting forwards ever. Calderon had a breakout season, and certainly Raptor fans worldwide will be watching how managements handles the point guard situation. Kidd has been a great player, and considering he has never shot the ball well, he has been very highly regarded. Yet him joining the Mavs did nothing but get Avery Johnson fired. In a match-up missing a true big man, Kidd might be the best rebounder of the bunch. Everyone can shoot the three, and no one here is generally considered a lock-down defender, though Kidd and Ellis have fast enough hands to force a bunch of turnovers. This looks like another decent match-up.

See you Sunday. I haven’t been able to check my Dropping Dimes e-mail lately, so apologies if your comments have not been included. Be like coop and drop a word in the comments section!

Previous match-ups:
Round 1: Games 1 and 2
Round 1: Games 3 and 4
Round 1: Games 5 and 6
Round 1: Games 7 and 8
Round 1: Games 9 and 10
Round 1: Games 11 and 12