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LeBron James (photo. Nike Basketball)
It may be No. 1 vs. No. 16, but this isn’t the NCAA Tournament and Amar’e Stoudemire is no slouch. He’ll feed off the energy from the crowd, embrace his underdog status and look to stick it to LeBron. His 6-10 frame and deceptively powerful upper body should allow him to score once he’s in the post – but will the South Beach import even allow STAT to back him down in the first place? There’s no doubt that Amar’e has developed a nice midrange jumper of late, but consistency is the key. If LeBron gives him room and Amar’e starts sinking 18-footers, he may jump out to a surprising early lead.
We all saw STAT’s late-game swat of LeBron during the regular season, but he’s a little too close to Andris Biedrins on the defensively incapable scale. Maybe the bright lights will prompt him to move his feet occasionally, but I’m seeing flashes of LeBron rumbling down the lane followed by a ferocious “get off my court” slam. Because really, there are only two LeBrons that could emerge: the one looking to reclaim his kingly throne and makes us revisit the “greatest ever” conversation, or the inexplicably disinterested greatest that could have been.
LeBron could complain to the non-existent refs, point to his injured elbow or go for too many “I’m going to let you get by me so I can swat you from behind and cause Steve Kerr to shriek in delight” blocks. Or he could decide enough is enough and send us little bloggers with our psychological theories and explanations packing.
STAT is less confusing. No matter what Carmelo does, Amar’e is New York’s basketball superstar. He’s the reason why the Knicks will rise and fall. But the summer of 2010 will always join him to LeBron at the hip. New York ordained Amar’e as their basketball priest, ignoring whether or not he was ready to face the congregation. Well, here’s his chance to prove his worth. To prove that the Knicks didn’t overpay, didn’t invest too much heart, hope and love. To live up to the lofty expectations his city adheres.
Ultimately we’ll see two prideful players wratch it up seventeen notches. If Amar’e wins, he’ll validate his signing to Knicks fans everywhere. If LeBron comes away victorious, he’ll merely validate that No. 1 seed. Either way, someone’s going home unhappy.
Jay Bilas: “LeBron’s strength and ability to get by Amar’e off the bounce will be the difference. The only thing that would keep LeBron from winning would be if he settled for jump shots. Amar’e would have to back LeBron down into the lane and overpower him, but I don’t think he could do that given LeBron’s size and strength. Good match, though.”
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Amare is a beast with an actual mid range game…
Amare is a beast with an actual mid range game…
if i was picking teams, id choose Lebron first, but im gonna have to go with the underdog an pick Stat here.
Far better post up player, he has the size advantage (which in 1 on 1 is important) and is just as fast and athletic. Bron has a slightly more consistant jumper, but neither are lights out shooters.
plus Bron will probably get in a strop after not getting any foul calls and then try an prove a point by passing off a big shot to a team mate.
Amare wins this one.
Lebron all day over STAT. Amare has no face up game against a player like Lebron, unless hes gonna try and back down Lebron from the 3point line once he checks it. since its streetball 1 on 1 im sure no one will be backing down anyone in this matchup. i dont even see Amare scoring more than 5 points if he cant get off a couple 18 footers. a post game in 1 on 1 basketball only works when you have a great physical advantage over your opponent or that person has no post defense and with both players that is not the case. perimeter game=win for Bron
1 on 1 is a different beast… It takes away a lot of the tools you see on TV. Positioning, Calls, Screens, Double teams, etc.. It’s Pure Ballin’ . That said I give the slight Edge to Stat. Both guys are phenomenally athletic and agile. While Lebron does create better of the Dribble and has a slightly better jump shot, Stat has inches in height and what will seem like feet difference in wingspan.
Stat can go to the low post at any moment and that makes him a much harder player to stop. He can then turn around on the defensive end and create more blocks and shot adjustments then Bron could. It would definitely be a close game.
Amare wins by 2.
LMNOP – A post game in 1 on 1 doesn’t provide the edge you think it does. Or at least the edge you are making it out to be. Being great in the post is wonderful, it allows you to get open 5 feet from the basket. The only problem in this setting is… you don’t get an entry pass.
What is he going to do? Back him down, then turn and face up, then go into a series of moves while dribbling? 5 on 5 is like championship boxing. 1 on 1 is backyard brawling. Lebron by 4
Cosign panchitoo but LBJ is gonna lose this. LOL.
For the record, I cosign panchitoo’s comment, but voted Amare. Fukkit. Hate runs deep.
LOL@Stat can go to the low post at any moment
Amare doesnt have the foot speed to keep up with Lebron from the top of the key. defensively Amare wont be able to press tight on Lebron to stop the jumper cause Lebron will just blow passed him. so STAT will HAVE to stay two steps back giving lebron the wide open jumper all game. and even if lebron misses since Amare is so far away from lebrons body his box out skills wont work as well for the rebound.
Lebron misses a jumper, STAT gets the rebound clears the ball at the arch, then what does Amare do? cross over, between the legs, he needs to dribble to clear the ball and take it to his sweet spots and thats why i say he wont score more than 5 against a strong perimeter defender.
say what u want about Lebron …put him in a one on one setting where he know for a FACT …he dont have to pass to nobody …your ass is grass…Bron by the numbers jumper is BETTER than Kobe…so givin him room wont room…the only chance anybody got is makin him put the ball on the ground to where he has to do a countermove…but how many players can do it for 11pts
^work^
LeBron wins this one easily. 11-7.
in 1-on-1, you need to have a solid handle to either breakdown your defender and get to the rim or to create space for a jimmy.
Amar’e cant really do either. and if he can, of all defenders, LeBron can certainly keep up.
on defense, you may not have to be a great defender to win 1-on-1, but you gotta be able to hustle and get rebounds of all kinds. I see LeBron missing jumpers, but being faster to the ball off the rim than Amar’e.
I dont see this one even being that close.
L train wins it 11-7.
Why are people saying Amare is stronger and has a huge size advantage over LeBron? Amare is like 6’9-6’10 and 240lbs while LeBron is 6’8-6’9 and probably 275lbs. Amare has lost some of his beastness due to injuries, but LeBron is in his prime and def has a physical edge. Add to it that LeBron easily has a skill advantage from the outside and a HUGE speed advantage…well, James has it and he has it pretty easily IMO.
Amare gets skunked 7-0 if Lebron hits the “shoot for ball” at the start of the game.
F&F… its not a huge edge, but the player who has a decent post game against the player with zero post game has an edge nonetheless. Its an extra weapon, its always better to have a little variety in 1 on 1. An Stat aint shaq or dwight, hes got great handles for a man his size and should be able to get into the paint as well as anyone.
Amare is primarily a face up player anyway, without fouls id say they were a wash in that department. an the lack of a whistle and no mike D also gives Amare’s D a much needed boost.
shit… ya know what… i completely forgot to think about rebounding.. and with these two crappy jump shooters… i take every thing back… sorry everyone.
Haha, I love that there’s a voting form. Last time we did one of these, somehow Brandon Roy ended up winning the whole thing over LaMarcus Aldridge or some garbage. One of the moderators even came out and said that some Portland fans were going on and voting a few times under different names.
@LMNOP
okay Amare has a post game and Lebron doesnt but what Lebron does have is post defense and size and strength to back it up. Lebron is not going to post up Amare so it really dont matter if Lebron has the greatest post moves or not. the only thing Amare can do is post or shoot, no way hes getting 2 dribbles and a 1-2 step for the dunk on Bron…
Y’all overrating lebron d a lil too much…
When has LBJ ever guarded a big in the post?
There’s arguments in here saying Amare doesn’t have a post entry pass. But Lebron’s biggest weapon is his passing… if he has nobody to keep Amare honest, then Amare can just focus on LBJ. I’m not saying Amare can guard him, but it’s easier if he’s doesn’t have to worry about give-n-gos, or drive and dish, or LBJ in transition, or anything else LBJ likes to do.
“Bron by the numbers jumper is BETTER than Kobe”
^ numbers are numbers. Reality is different. At the end of the day Kobe is a polished scorer and has many weapons he can turn to. LBJ doesn’t. He becomes more predictable on offense if he doesn’t have teammates.
aint reality results ….do kobe got more moves as far as handles n footwork thats a different argument …pure jumper Bron got him
@B
we arent overrating Lebrons D, we are just comparing Amares perimeter offense to Lebron perimeter defense. Amare needs to DRIBBLE past Lebron to get from the 3point line(where you check the ball)to the free throw line where Amare is effective and i dont see Amare “DRIBBLING” the ball around Lebron, do you?
@JAY
Lebron wont need to guard Amare in the post cause Amare wont even be able to make it to the post. and if it is true that Lebron actually weighs more than Amare then you can figure out what will happen.
@ctkennedy LeBron’s jumper is better thank Kobe by the numbers? You do realise dunks and layups factor in field goal percentage right? You do know Kobe is the same nutcase who gets a shot off on two defender’s hands in his face and hits it right? I’m not Kobe fan or LeBron hater, but no one in their right mind would call LeBron a better shooter than Kobe.
I think LeBron would take this even though he hasn’t developed a post game, he’s still able to guard bigger players. Amar’e does have a mid range game, but not with a defender in his face and LeBron would be right there in front of him.
Its a shame Amares 16 experts agree a skilled big man will win these ganes every time. Problem is Brons a 3 with Karl Malones body. Id have Amare over everyone else in the field, but Bron wins this and the whole thing. That sucked to type
JeBron goes up 10-0 then his aunt gets banged by the mascot and he continuously misses every shot after that…
On the real tho..amare all day..he has a more consistent mid range game and he can take it to the basket wit just as much ease as jebron lames..in 1 on 1 games having a consistent pull up mid range J is more beneficial than anything else besides being a foot taller than ur opponent
JeBron is an amazing player nd a redonkulous athlete but the best part of his game is his passing ability which is non-existant in this setting..when the spotlight and pressure are on who of these 2 hav a history of fading in crunch time???
Stat wins a close 1 13-11
If Amare is New York’s biggest basketball superstar than how come he is the 16th seed and Melo is the 3rd seed? Melo’s the better player and more popular so I think that would make him the bigger superstar.
And every1 talkin bout post-work????jebron was gettin BEASTED by shawn marion on the blocks and he was tryiin to go bak at him in the post on offense nd gettin worked over by the matrix on D..its about pride..if u think ur the best nd this guy is killin u in the post ur gunna try goin right bak at him the same way and as we hav seen all year, besides a few lucky fade aways..JeBron Lames ain’t shit in the post..his only hope is layups that r A LOT harder to come by in 1on1
@Jay – The number of post moves you can do with a live dribble isn’t nearly as many you can do if you had an entry pass. So hyping up Amare’s post game doesn’t mean anything. He is still starting from 23 feet out trying to back down Lebron.
No refs, so any of the players in the tourney can use two hands in post defense. They can even use their thigh to uproot a player from their positioning now.
Lebron wins because Amare can’t create his own shot in this setting. Do you think Amare can really pull off using a head fake while dribbling to get around Lebron? How exactly is Amare going to get to his spots.
I’d die laughing if I saw someone do a solo pick n roll.
@s.bucketz
the biggest difference between Amare and the Matrix is their speed and first step. Lebron cant push up and play tight defense on Marion cause Marion can use what little speed he has to create enough space for one of those flip shots. and Marion didnt get the ball at the top of the key and then take Lebron to the basket. Marion got an entry pass free throw line extended and took less then 3 dribbles for the basket. Amare get the ball standing still with the defense right in front of him at the 3 point line.
SOMEONE PLEASE POST AN AMARE HIGHLIGHT WHERE HE TAKES A DECENT DEFENDER OFF THE DRIBBLE FROM THE 3 POINT LINE AND MAYBE I’LL THINK TWICE ABOUT WHO WOULD WIN THIS MATCHUP
lmfao@ all the claims of Lebron having post defense, Amare having a size advantage, and Lebrons J being better than Kobes. Wtf, are yall even paying attention.
One thing i’d like to throw out there. These guys are not 5’9….they are 6’9. So one dribble pretty much puts them into the FT lane. From there Amare can back down with ease. Only problem is, Amare has zero back to basket game. He’s all faceup.
Lebron wins this match up with relative ease imho. Even if his J is off, he is one of the best finishers at the rim and has a huge speed advantage.
Defensively, Lebron could challenge Amare’s shots better than Amare could challenge his. And as control said, Lebron is 6’8 275lbs, Amare is 6’10-240…. I’m pretty sure Lebron bullies him at the rim.
@Chicagorilla
thanks for helping me win those 9.8 shoes, i think our back and forth on that post really helped my chances…are you a shoe junkie LOL thanks again…
but yah your totally correct Amares got no back to the basket game. but i still cant see Amare taking just one dribble from a complete stand still to get to the free throw line while Lebrons defending him.
“Amare has no face up game against a player like Lebron”
WTF?
Did people not watch the knicks this season when Amar’e was CONSISTENTLY draining 15-18 foot shots in people’s mugs.
People acting like STAT is Mchale or something. He won’t be able to put him in the low post and he can’t take Lebron off the dribble. On o Lebron is gonna just take him to the hole over and over.
@Amar’e was CONSISTENTLY draining 15-18 foot shots in people’s mugs
i seen someone pass the ball to Amare 15-18 feet away from the basket for a stand still set shot in someones face multiple times(sometimes he uses a reverse pivot to face up). i have yet to see someone pass to Amare at the 3 point line then he dribbles down around 15-18 feet and pulls up for a jumper in someones face. have you seen that? and against who so i can look it up on youtube…
Reality is Bron wins the matchup, but more due to Amare not having the hops like he used to, if you did this matchup 4 years ago when Amare was beasting guys and dunking everything I think he would take it but not now. He just isn’t as quick and couldn’t guard Bron.
i agree that Amare could have been able to stay along side Lebron 4 years ago but 4 years ago we wouldnt even need to question who is the best 1 on 1 player…Shobe one Kanobi
As much as I dislike Kobe, I’d have to agree he was just at another level at the beginning of that championship run.
amare gets blasted here
Amare can win this game… if he reverts to the ol school tricks my pops pulls, use superior strength put lebron on the block… i still gave this game to lebron… he’s too athletic and skilled
@ panchitoo
exhibit A all the way thru Z of Amare being able to beast:
[www.youtube.com]
thas against KG, who even at this stage of his career is still an all NBA 1st defense (even tho thas more off rep but still people still act like hes the shit)
@panchitoo
hey i’m more than happy to help lol. Of course you’ll be upset in a few weeks when you roll your ankle in those shoes.
s.bucketz
That is the same KG who got burnt by old man Tmac in probably the slowest drive to the hoop next to something PP would do…
Quite a speed difference between KG and LeBron…
Bron makes more 3s a season then kobe n have scored more pts over the last 3 or 4yrs n it aint off all layups n dunks …its ok to give Bron his credit….Lls… in a one on one settin…when Bron knows he dont have to pass the ball …i would have to see him get beat to believe it
Amare has the 15-18′ so Lebron would HAVE to respect his pump fakes and jab steps. Lebron has little advantage in a one on one setting. He can’t put his head down and plow through Amare and his midrange jumper isn’t consistent enough that Amare has to play him close enough to get beat. Lebron would have to be knocking down quick pull-ups to win this one. Amare by 4
“and if it is true that Lebron actually weighs more than Amare then you can figure out what will happen.”
Weight doesn’t matter if you have no experience defending post players. Rodman weighed around 220-230 his whole career and he played Shaq and Malone better than anybody else I’ve seen, while being outweighed by up to 100 lbs. Why was he successful? Experience. Know-how.
There’s no doubt in my mind Amare could back LBJ all the way to the rim from 23 feet out. Are you guys seriously telling me the he can’t do that? There’s no double team… no shot clock. Amare could take his sweet time backing LBJ up. The few times I’ve seen LBJ defend in the post, he’s standing straight up and his chest is right up againt the post player. How could he prevent Amare from getting into position when his knees aren’t bent… and has no space to react? He has no idea how to defend down in ‘the hole’.
I’ve already said LBJ would win this matchup… but at the same time you guys are joking if you don’t think Amare can’t simply back LBJ to the rim from 23 feet. Anthony Mason used to do it? He did it to many guys. That was his game. Barkley was the same way. He used to catch the ball from 20 feet with his defender right on his ass, then turn and back down. The only reason you don’t see that shit in the league anymore is because the rules don’t allow for it. The 5 second backdown rule was created for a reason. These 2 won’t have that rule, no shot-clock, and no doubles will be coming. And you gotta think Amare won’t need to back LBJ down from 23 feet anyway because LBJ won’t start defending him until 18-20 feet, maybe even closer. Fact is Amare has all the time in the world to turn his back, and back down from 20 feet. There’s no flopping in streetball. Amare has the advantage to bang all the way to the post.
Don’t kid yourselves fellas.
BTW, some props are due to DIME for this concept. Way to start some conversation while their’s nothing to really talk about.
wow u guys are some haters stop hating on lebron i can’t wait till he wins his first ring and many more to come and i wonder what all you haters would say then SO lebron left cleveland why does that matter its not like its your life let him do his thing and look at where he is at compared to where yall at he actually in the nba and will win a ring soon and Lebron and Amare thats a pretty tuff match up but because lebron is an all around player i think he would win this because he got the perimeter shooting advantage and its one on one im pretty sure they would guard each other pretty well.