NBA Draft Blog

This is about as close as you can get to having someone play against themselves in a one-on-one game. Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett are nearly identically sized, and both play basketball in a very similar way.

They are both physical and athletic defenders. They both can play physical in the post, yet they both still have the ability to hit mid-range jumpers when needed.

The difference maker in this mirror-image matchup will be the extra polish that Hakeem has on his post game. Hakeem will go shot for shot with Garnett when it comes to the perimeter, but in the post, Olajuwon will be able to pull away with his mini-hook in the paint.

Garnett will keep it close, but his emotion will wear off and Olajuwon will block one or two of Garnett's late chances. "The dream" starts off strong with a win against Garnett.

Here's quite a matchup. The two dominant centers that helped Kobe get all his rings pitted against one another. This matchup looks lopsided on paper; Gasol weighs in at a healthy 250 pounds, whereas Shaq weighs in at a whopping 325 pounds.

While his weight gives O'Neal a decisive advantage in the paint, it also will be his downfall when it comes to defending Gasol outside of the paint. The moment that Gasol steps out of the paint is the moment when Shaq gets put on his heels and is out of his comfort zone.

Shaq will have a difficult time being able to defend Gasol's jumper, but ultimately will be able to force him to win the game in the paint, and that is where Shaq will take over. I have a hard time believing that Gasol could out-play Shaq any day of the week in the paint, and that is what will be his downfall. Gasol will keep the game close until he misses his first shot and Shaq gets the ball.

Once Shaq gets the ball, he will take the ball to the post and will use his drop-step to show Gasol who's boss. Shaq will show Gasol who is the better Lakers center that played during the Kobe era.