Given a choice, would you choose to have the career of Kevin Garnett or that of Tim Duncan? TD is hailed as one of the best players ever, maybe top ten all-time. He has four rings and is usually a shoo-in for first team All-NBA. KG has the better street cred, but has not had as much team success as Duncan over the span of their careers. KG and his Celtics took Game 1 of this year’s Finals, and the countdown is on until Game 2 tips off. While we wait, we can ponder these two giants in the game going up against each other this week in our hypothetical tourney.

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!

Review of last week’s match-ups:

Round 1, Game 15:

Ray Allen has definitely finished third in the Celtic’s “Big Three.” His shooting has been pretty sporadic during the playoffs, but he has come alive a bit lately. He was solid in Game 1 with 19 points. LaMarcus Aldridge is a player to keep an eye on next year as he gets to ride shotgun in the Blazers’ frontcourt with much-heralded “rookie,” Greg Oden. Both of these players are *nice* for sure, but against Shaq and Dirk? Shaq could just sit in the paint on both offense and defense. Allen is going to have to shoot over some long arms, and neither he nor Aldridge can check Dirk. Using the old adage, “You can’t teach size,” this match-up seems relatively easy to call. Winner: Dirk Nowitzki and Shaquille O’Neal.

Round 1, Game 16: Thanks to Jeff W for the comment on this game. “I suspect Big Ben and J-Rich would win, with KG forfeiting by strangling his partner Z-Bo.” I can understand the sentiment and certainly Zach is an easy punchline. But…KG has imposed his will onto the Celtics all year and has them three wins away from the promised land. Ben Wallace provides no offensive threat, and although J-Rich is an exciting and athletic talent, he won’t be able to score repeatedly against KG. One thing Zach can do is score, and KG would happily feed him the rock again and again to keep him into the game. I used the argument for Nash, but provides KG fits the bill better; almost any partner in this tourney with KG is a serious threat to win. Winner: Zach Randolph and Kevin Garnett.

So one Celtic moves on today, while another gets eliminated. Not sure what that means for tonight’s Game 2.

Each round, the players get reshuffled. We have all new pairings and some great match-ups in store for you. Let’s kick things off.

Round 2, Game 1: Paul Pierce and Dwight Howard vs. LeBron James and Andre Iguodala
The Truth and Superman teaming up seems sick with a capital “S.” Thankfully the fantasy gods wanted to make this one interesting and King James stands in their way. Perhaps ‘Bron would want a big man to go up against Dwight, but an ultra-athletic Iggy might be enough to win. Pierce teamed with Marcus Camby in the first round, and scored a way against Rudy Gay and Rafer Alston. Howard and Manu Ginobili got by Jermaine O’Neal and Carlos Boozer. ‘Bron and Iggy went up against duos with Chris Kaman and Al Jefferson while teamed up with a non-big player, so people have thought that they can certainly overcome a size disadvantage. But then again, neither Al Jeff nor the Caveman would be mistaken for Howard. Will this game have the drama of Pierce going down, getting carried off only to return to the court moments later? Can’t really blame Pierce, we’ve all played ball and gotten hit in that exact wrong spot where it HURTS. Still, it was a bit over the top.

Round 2, Game 2: Antawn Jamison and Kevin Garnett vs. Ron Artest and Tim Duncan
Duncan gets mentioned in discussions centered around “best player in the game today” and “top ten players all-time” and “best forward ever,” while KG’s name does not get mentioned as much. Things might change if he can win a ring or two with Boston. Him and Jamison form an interesting pair of versatile forwards, while Artest and Duncan make a tough defensive pair. How do you see this one playing out?

See you next week! Enjoy the Finals.

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
Round 1, Games 13 and 14
Round 1, Games 15 and 16