NBA 1v1 Madness: Quarterfinals (Regional Finals)

By: Wayne and Schwartz

Giannis Antetokounmpo (left), Kawhi Leonard (center), and LeBron James (right)

Welcome to the Quarterfinals, aka the Regional Finals, in our NBA 1v1 Madness tournament. We hope you enjoy digging through the next round of matchups.

Round of 16 Recap:

• West Region: 

  • Kawhi Leonard beat Pascal Siakam 21-15

  • Damian Lillard beat Paul George 22-20

• Midwest Region: 

  • LeBron James beat CJ McCollum 21-9

  • Anthony Davis beat Klay Thompson 21-15

• East Region:

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo beat Kyrie Irving 21-12

  • Kevin Durant beat Karl-Anthony Towns 21-13

• South Region: 

  • Zion Williamson beat Chris Paul 21-14

  • Jayson Tatum beat Steph Curry 21-19

West Region (location: Venice Beach)

1) Kawhi Leonard over 3) Damian Lillard

After a taxing matchup versus Leonard’s wing partner, Dame is spent for his matchup against the face of the Clippers franchise. He pulled off a fantastic win against PG, but isn’t able to execute his gameplan with the same level of success against a similar style of player in Kawhi. Leonard’s elevated physical ability carries him to a disappointingly comfortable win, and a ticket to the Final Four.

Final score: 21-14

Midwest Region (location: Hoosier Gym)

1) LeBron James over 2) Anthony Davis

LeBron

takes on his teammate, the guy he moved worlds to get on the Lakers this season. Davis may be taking the torch from LeBron as the best Lakers player in due time, but it’s not that time yet and LeBron still has the better all-around game. This is a pretty close matchup for a spot in the Final Four, but LeBron’s big-game experience and all-around gamesmanship pushes him past the Brow.

Final score: 21-17

East Region (location: Rucker Park)

2) Kevin Durant over 1) Giannis Antetokounmpo

KD might be the only player in this tournament who can take down the Greek Freak, and the two butt heads here in the Elite 8. Durant has a three-point stroke that Giannis can only dream of, and he’s also one of the few players who could actually defend Giannis. The Bucks star certainly has the advantage in the post with his physicality and size, but KD is stronger than his slim frame suggests and blocks a few of Giannis’s inside shots. Both players are elite in their own right, but KD gets the slight edge - he’s a better shooter, comparable rebounder/defender, and was arguably the best player in basketball before injuries derailed his season with the Warriors. It’s impossible to know for sure how good he will be in his return from injury, but if we’re assuming both players are healthy then this is a no-brainer pick for the player who’s proven himself in the biggest moments time and again. 

Final score: 21-17

South Region (location: Cameron Indoor)

3) Jayson Tatum over 5) Zion Williamson

THIS is the battle that the Duke faithful came to see. Two of Duke’s best players of the decade, which is saying a lot for a blue blood program which churns out NBA talent on the regular. These two guys figure to define the next generation of basketball, and both bring wildly different skillsets to the table. Zion is a ferocious dunker and highlight reel waiting to happen, but Tatum’s much-improved defense catches him by surprise here, slowing down the Pels’ young mega-star just enough to give himself some breathing room on offense. JT is also the much better 3-point shooter, which makes all the difference in this format as he uses the deep ball to open up a narrow lead. Zion will have his time, but it’s not coming just yet as Jayson punches his ticket to the Final Four. 

Final score: 21-16