NBA virtual 1-on-1 Tournament: Stephen Curry vs. Serge Ibaka

The next matchup in the 1-on-1 Summer Showdown is between the master of the 3-point shot, and the frontrunner for best biceps in the NBA.

The Rules

It is a half-court game in which the scoring increments are 1 point for everything inside the arc\ and 2 points for everything outside the arc, so long-distance bombers will do well in our tourney.  The higher seed stars off with the ball and the first player to 11 points wins. The possession switches every time the ball is scored, and your votes determine the winner.

Stephen Curry (2^nd Seed)

When I wrote long-distance bombers will do well in the tourney, I was thinking about Stephen Curry. His second-seeding was close to being a first seed just because he is such a consistent threat from beyond the arc. Combine his absurdly quick release and his tendency to get hot and your chances of winning get slimmer with every shot he makes.

He isn't going to stop anyone on defense, and he is going to be out-manned by Serge Ibaka. Ibaka has the size and the strength to back down Curry and stop any potential drives to the hoop. This may be a tougher matchup than you would expect for Curry.

Serge Ibaka (7^th Seed)

As a 7^th seed, you aren't going to get a great matchup in the first round. This matchup, however, is worse than normal. Ibaka is much bigger and stronger than Curry, but Curry has the speed advantage which is all he needs.

Ibaka's ideal opponent is someone whose lack of a consistent 3-point jumper will force him to turn to the mid-range game and finish at the rim. Ibaka causes all sorts of trouble defensively from that inside the arc. If you force him to defend the 3-point shot, you are exposing one of his few defensive weaknesses.

Ibaka won't have a problem scoring, but scoring at a higher rate than Curry will be hard to do.

Now It's Your Turn

This is where you decide the outcome. Vote on the poll below and make sure to let your opinion be known in the comments of this article.