Payton/Marbury: This will be a fun matchup between, perhaps, the 2 best point guards in the west. Marbury's point production will be limited due to Payton's defense. I doubt either will score a lot, but they will get involved through other means. Payton-assists, steals, defense; Marbury-assists and rebounds. Both players will spend a lot of their energy guarding and keeping up with the other.
Kobe/Johnson: The only way Johnson will get points is if Kobe leaves him wide open, otherwise, don't look for much out of Johnson. Kobe is a much better athlete than he is, and Kobe should be able to stop him with much ease. Johnson will only be able to take outside shots with Shaq and Malone preventing him from taking ti to the basket, and the outside shots that he does take will be contested by Kobe. Joe isn't exactly a great defender either, so Kobe shouldn't have much problem scoring.
George/Marion: We already know we will lose this matchup, but hopefully Marion will have an off night or something. George is going to have to play great defense, because Marion is someone who can go off on you. He can shoot, dunk, rebound, and pass. His length might make it harder for George to contend his shots. If George doesn't stick with him, then "the Matrix" will be able to have his way with him and light us up, making our defense look bad. If George can't stick with him, then look for Russell to see some quality minutes against him.
Malone/Williams: Malone will not have to put forth much effort to win this matchup. He can out rebound, out hustle, and out score Williams. Malone should be able to get good position against him in the paint and do whatever he wants. Scott won't be able to keep up with Malone at either end of the court.
Shaq/White & Voskuhl: They will start with White, for size reasons, but he will get into foul trouble early on, so Jake will have to relieve him. Either way, Shaq will dominate them. He will push the 245 pound Voskuhl around like a rag doll. And he will move around the immobile Jahidi with ease, since he can't get off the ground to get a rebound, contest a shot, block a shot, or prevent someone from getting to the hoop...this should be an easy night for Shaq. Look for Shaq to attack the basket and dominate the boards.
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