We’re in the endgame now. The remaining eight San Antonio Spurs are All-Stars and Hall-Of-Famers. The Sweet Sixteen brought intriguing matchups, but ultimately the voting was lopsided for the winners. This round should be much closer with some heavy hitting matchups.
The official results, with voting percentages is in the bracket below:
Here is a reminder of the rules before we get into the matchups:
- Each player is at the prime of their Spurs tenure. So someone like Kawhi Leonard or Dominique Wilkins would represent their peak season as a Spur, not the best of their career.
- Assume traditional 1-on-1 rules for the tournament. Half court, games to 11 straight up (ones and twos), no offensive rebounds, and checking the ball after a score. For this exercise, we’ll be alternating possessions, so no “make it, take it.”
- Single elimination tournament bracket. If a player loses, they are done.
Vote in the polls below for the winners of the Elite Eight round.
Tim Duncan (1) vs. LaMarcus Aldridge (8)
Marilyn: It is especially helpful that
we actually saw this matchup plenty in person, including with both at or near the primes. It’s worth noting that the Trail Blazers had one of the better records against the Spurs during the Duncan era (although not a winning one), and Aldridge wasn’t an easy cover, but Tim would still own this matchup one-on-one. LMA will get some points, but he can’t defend prime Duncan with his banker and post game.
Jacob: This is the only matchup of this round that I don’t think will be close. Aldridge is an awesome scorer and one of the most fun post-players of the 2010s, but he has nothing on the best power forward of all time. Duncan is the better defender, and has enough offense to take out Aldridge on his way to the Final Four.
Jesus: Aldridge was a Spurs killer when he was in Portland. The defense really struggled to contain big men who could shoot from the perimeter, and LA was one of the best ever at the long twos. That said, this is a one-on-one battle, and prime Tim Duncan was a lot more mobile than people who saw him late in his career think. Timmy was also a much better one-on-one player than people give him credit for. At one point, the offense was “walk the ball up and pass it to Tim in the post.” I can see Aldridge hitting some tough turnaround jumpers on Big Fun, but a locked-in Duncan should win this relatively easily.
J.R.: I remember watching LaMarcus Aldridge light up the Spurs in (what seemed to me) such a regular way that I was ready to pencil LMA down for 40 every time I saw Portland on the schedule. So I think it’s important to acknowledge that the Spurs defense in The Age of Duncan often focused on letting players take long twos. Another point: Aldridge loved that over-the-right-shoulder turn-around jumper like I love my kids, and it was like he forgot to miss every time he lined up against Timmy. All that to say that there’s not a doubt in my mind that Big Fun is able to bother Aldridge enough while guarding him, and it goes without saying that he’ll score at will when he has the ball. Tim advances.
Manu Ginobili (5) vs. Kawhi Leonard (4)
Marilyn: Well, this hurts. Manu is one of the most creative scorers of his era, but if there was a player built to stop him, it’s Kawhi. Painful as it is to say, if he could stop LeBron, Durant, etc., he can stop Manu. He also has the offensive game to counter Manu’s unique scoring, so this is unfortunately one of those times I have to go with brain over heart and pick Kawhi.
Jacob: This is a brutal pull for Manu. Against some of the other guards left, like Gervin and Parker, I think he stands a chance. Kawhi is another beast. At his Spurs peak, Kawhi was a Finals MVP and regular season MVP candidate. He was the best defensive player in the NBA. Manu is a fan favorite, and an awesome, creative player who should thrive in 1-on-1 settings. This is just a bad matchup for him, and I have to go with Kawhi.
Jesus: Manu made the people who doubted him look silly more often than most stars throughout his career. I wouldn’t completely count him out, even against Kawhi. But Leonard should be a heavy favorite in this matchup. Even the Spurs version was an unstoppable midrange assassin who used his strength to get to his spots against quicker guys and his elevation to shoot over taller defenders. He was also one of the most dominant perimeter defenders anyone has ever seen. Ginobili would fight and would find ways to get buckets and stops, but ultimately, I think Kawhi advances.
J.R.: This matchup comes down to two things: quickness and strength, and as much as it pains me to say it, I think Leonard has the edge in both categories. Even if Manu can get Kawhi momentarily off-balance, The Nephew is able to use his superior mass to shove Ginobili off his path. It brings me no joy to say this, because Manu is my favorite player of all time. But I don’t see him winning this matchup more often than 20 times out of a hundred — and that might still be high because my fan’s heart won’t let me go any lower. Leonard advances.
George Gervin (3) vs. Tony Parker (6)
Marilyn: We have two of the better, more creative scorers in Spurs history, but this time Tony’s size really will be his downfall. The Iceman is just too long, crafty and creative for Tony to stand a chance on defense. He may keep up for a while on offense, but he won’t be able to get the stops to pull off the upset.
Jacob: TP has been underestimated for most of the tournament, and is coming off a close victory over Sean Elliott. His run ends here against the bigger, and more prolific Gervin. This is a battle, though. I ultimately don’t think Parker can guard the Iceman 1-on-1. Parker puts up some points with some creative finishes inside to keep it close, but he can’t pull off the upset as Gervin moves on to the final four.
Jesus: Both guys would score easily against each other, and in such an offensively-oriented battle, The Iceman should prevail. The size advantage is too massive, to the point I don’t think Tony would even bother Gervin, who could simply pull up and hit jumper after jumper or muscle his way to the rim. Parker should also have an easy time scoring on Ice, but the 6’7 frame of Gervin at least gives him a chance to contest some shots. It would be an insanely fun matchup to see, and few stops means it would be close, but Gervin should win,
J.R.: Finger-roll against Teardrop. Silky smooth jumper vs. full-speed 360 spin moves. Man, would this be a matchup to savor. Our oui-Frenchman would give it his all, but I don’t think Gervin would be bothered by Tony’s defense as much as Parker would be stymied by George’s. I’d gladly pay the admission to watch this battle, because I do think it’d be hard fought, but I see The Iceman Prevailing.
David Robinson (2) vs. Victor Wembanyama (7)
Marilyn: And here is. This could just as easily have been the Finals if Wemby had landed on the other side of the bracket. The similarities and differences between these two are wild. Both are 7-foot-plus freaks of nature, high-flying dunkers, prolific blockers, and are both DPOY and MVP-caliber/winning players. As for their differences, Robinson would overwhelm Wemby physically and in the weight room, but Wemby has the height advantage, as well as a better ability to shoot away from the basket — which very well may be the key to countering the Admiral’s superior strength. Weird as it is to say, the third-year player upsets the legend by a hair.
Jacob: Ah. The matchup we’ve all been waiting for. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days. Wembanyama struggles against big, physical defenders, even if they are shorter than him. He can defend anyone, but scoring is an issue. I think that may have more to do with the team situation, rather than his one-on-one capabilities. Ultimately my decision comes down to this: I like Wemby more. It’s hard to find something on the basketball court he can’t do, and I refuse to bet against a 7-foot-4 player who can hit step back three-pointers. The Admiral is an all-time great, but I think Wemby has more talent, and can win this matchup even as a younger player. This is tough. The future is now, old man. Wembanyama advances.
Jesus: The opposite of the Parker vs. Gervin matchup. A defensive battle for the ages. Wembanyama has the edge in terms of range on offense, while Robinson has a significant strength advantage. It would come down to the little things, and the more experienced player should be able to prevail. Peak Robinson faced some of the best centers ever and while he didn’t always come out on top, all that experience should come in handy. Wemby has a loose handle. He struggles with physicality at times. The Admiral would crowd him and get him uncomfortable. He would just muscle his way inside and go right into Wemby’s chest to get him out of position. A more mature Wembanyama would probably beat 50, but the 21-year-old version would really struggle against someone who has similarly freakish physical tools and also the knowledge to give him trouble.
J.R.: The deciding factor to me in this matchup is range. It would be tough enough for David if this tournament was twos and threes, but this is a ones and twos game, and everything Wemby makes from behind the arc is worth twice one of David’s standard shots. In a matchup with so many similarities, it doesn’t take much to tip the scales. In this case, the factor isn’t slight. Wemby lives to go off from deep, he rises to a challenge, and he can make several in a row. David can’t keep up against a guy who can bother him all over the court, while taking his best pressure and dribble side-stepping into a fadeaway three. Wemby advances.
