The Best Head-to-Head Battles in the NBA so Far This Season
A head-to-head battle on an NBA court can take many different guises, whether it be LeBron James returning to South Beach, Russell Westbrook trading buckets with Damian Lillard or Giannis Antetokounmpo matching career-high nights with Anthony Davis.
And sometimes, it just boils down to a talented defender, like Klay Thompson, suffocating an elite scorer, like James Harden.
Despite the fluid nature of basketball, the modern game has become typified by standout athleticism and a trend toward one-on-one isolation play. While some blame AAU habits and carp about the lack of traveling calls, that style of play makes for entertaining theater.
Certain aspects of the NBA distinguish it from the other major pro sports. Because of how it's televised, all 10 players on the court can often be seen within one camera shot. And because there are only 10 players on court with a minimum of substitutions (as opposed to, say, ice hockey), a single player can have a more significant impact on his team and the game's outcome.
That's why basketball is uniquely suited to head-to-head battles, and these five matchups featured amazing athleticism and incessant scoring. Through a variety of thrills, they represent the best battles of the 2014-15 NBA season, so far.
Dec. 23: Russell Westbrook vs. Damian Lillard
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The Portland Trail Blazers nipped the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-11 in overtime Dec. 23, and two of the league's most talented young points guards waged war as Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard each scored 40 points.
Lillard had his long-range shooting touch locked in with merciless precision. Despite finishing with just 3-of-9 shooting from two-point range, Lillard connected on eight of his 12 attempts from downtown. He canned five triples in the first half and beat the buzzer before halftime by draining a 30-foot bomb in Westbrook's face, leaving less than a second on the clock.
And with his Blazers trailing by three points at the end of regulation, Lillard sprinted up from the baseline and launched a catch-and-shoot trey.
This, of course, found the bottom of the net.
That forced overtime and—after the Blazers scored only 19 points in both the first and third quarters—they hung 17 on OKC during the overtime period.
As noted by ESPN.com, Lillard scored 18 of his 40 points during the fourth quarter and overtime and continued his league-leading scoring in the clutch. He even handed out 11 assists and finished four rebounds short of a triple-double.
It also marked Westbrook's fourth career game with at least 40 points and the first such game that OKC lost.
Dec. 25: LeBron James vs. Dwyane Wade
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When the Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-91 on Christmas, one name lingered on every set of lips, whether smiling or sneering: LeBron James.
After LeBron spurned Northern Ohio in July 2010 and took his talents to South Beach, he spurned Florida and took his talents back home four years later. That engendered some bitterness among Heat fans, who burned his jersey just as Cavs fans had done several years prior.
Eschewing the customary Christmas spirit of unity and forgiveness, the Heat were quite inhospitable to their visitors. They harassed, hacked and whacked him throughout the game, and the fans gleefully reveled as LeBron—a 75 percent free-throw shooter for his career—missed eight of his 18 free throws in a game his team would lose by 10 points.
While LeBron scored 30 points and had eight assists, he also committed a game-high four turnovers and bricked six of his eight attempts from three-point range.
LeBron's old running mate Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 31, adding five boards, five assists, two steals and a block in a very active outing.
USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt labeled Wade the "Grinch Who Stole LeBron James' Christmas." However, the two players embraced in a hearty "bro-hug" after the game, and LeBron even talked to Wade about reuniting, though LeBron subsequently insisted that he was talking about issues off the court.
"LeBron had an interesting message to Dwyane Wade after their Christmas Day game... MORE: http://t.co/9rcqomHFJi pic.twitter.com/HQ07zdwma6
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) December 31, 2014"
Of course. LeBron would never leave Cleveland a second time, right?
Jan. 17: James Harden vs. Klay Thompson
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Not all head-to-head battles require a dual offensive explosion.
On Jan. 17, Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson proved this against James Harden, a Houston Rockets guard and the NBA's leading scorer, at the time. The Warriors beat down the Rockets in Houston with a convincing 131-106 win.
The Dubs' "Splash Brothers" backcourt of Thompson and MVP candidate Stephen Curry each scored 27 points, but the more significant number was 12—the point total for Harden, who missed 11 of his 15 field-goal attempts.
Uncharacteristically, Harden even missed three times on seven foul shots, an aberration for an 85 percent career foul shooter.
Thompson took primary duties guarding Harden, and the 6'7" shooting guard used his length and physicality to bully the 6'5" Harden.
After similar struggles by the Rockets' in their 98-87 home loss to the Warriors back on Nov. 8, the high-powered leaders of the Western Conference can clearly take care of business on both ends of the floor.
"James Harden in two home games against Klay Thompson and the Warriors combined to shoot 1 for 15 from 3-point range, 12-for-39 from field.
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) January 18, 2015"
Perhaps, Harden and the Rockets brought the wrong mentality to the game that night, and there's more evidence to support that than just the 25-point defeat at home.
A video captured Harden telling his teammates before the game: "They beat us already twice. They ain't that good, man. Let's go."
Actually, it appears to be the Rockets who ain't that good when it comes to playing the best in the West.
March 9: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Anthony Davis
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In a matchup that could simply have been termed "The Brow" versus the "Greek Freak," the New Orleans Pelicans knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks 114-103 on March 9 in Wisconsin.
Anthony Davis tied his career-high with 43 points on 17-of-23 shooting, nailing jump shot after jump shot and even tying for the team lead with six assists. But Giannis Antetokounmpo showed no fear in attacking Davis, and he set a new personal best with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
Surprisingly, Antetokounmpo recorded more blocks (three) than Davis (two) and also snagged three steals with his lengthy limbs.
However, Davis owned the night.
After the Bucks claimed a slim lead with only three-and-a-half minutes remaining, Davis took over and scored the Pels' next eight points. Davis' shot chart proves that he splashed jumpers from all over the floor.
"Anthony Davis's shot chart looks like a lawn pic.twitter.com/FOVd4Bx1tV
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) March 10, 2015"
But regardless of the outcome, there is no denying the top-notch entertainment on display from the two players, who each possess an incredible blend of length and athleticism.
Davis praised Antetokounmpo after the game, telling reporters, via ESPN.com: "He's a good player, does a little bit of everything. Really drives to the basket very well and was getting good looks. It was fun going up against him."
Just over a week later, the teams met again, and while neither player recorded another career-high scoring effort, they further intensified their budding rivalry as Antetokounmpo showed no compunction about attacking Davis on drives to the hoop. That time, the Pels narrowly prevailed 85-84 in New Orleans on St. Patrick's Day.
"Anthony Davis may have a nice rivalry brewing with Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has taken the ball strong at A.D.
— John Reid (@JohnReid64) March 18, 2015"
Considering that neither player has yet reached 23 years of age, with any luck, this will be a rousing rivalry for many seasons to come.
March 12: Tony Parker vs. Kyrie Irving (and Kawhi Leonard vs. LeBron James)
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In the Cleveland Cavaliers' 128-125 overtime win against the San Antonio Spurs on March 12, Kyrie Irving erupted for a franchise-record 57 points.
In one of the most impressive shooting performances in recent memory, Irving connected on 20-of-32 shooting, making all seven of his three-point attempts and each of his 10 free throws. He even dished five assists, grabbed four steals and lost only two turnovers.
Moreover, Irving scored nine straight points for the Cavs in the final minute of regulation, including a game-tying three-pointer at the horn. Then, he opened overtime by scoring the team's first six points of the extra frame.
Young Spurs star Kawhi Leonard missed a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, which could have iced the game.
Cavs superstar LeBron James lauded Irving's record-setting effort to reporters after the game, via ESPN.com: "The kid is special, we all know it, we all see it. For him to go out and put on a performance like he did tonight was incredible."
But Irving's rousing performance was not the only story from the game.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker had struggled through a tough stretch in 24 games during January and February, averaging just 11.7 points on 40.1 percent shooting and 4.5 assists with 2.1 turnovers per game.
At 32 years old, it seemed fair to wonder whether the Frenchman's skills were fading for good.
Instead, Parker exploded for 31 points on 15-of-23 shooting and six assists. It paled in comparison to Irving's otherworldly evening, but Parker finished just one point shy of his season high.
LeBron also shined while Irving reigned supreme, scoring 31 points and dishing seven assists while battling Leonard's stout defense throughout the game. Leonard scored 24 points himself on 9-of-14 shooting and finished just one rebound and three assists short of a triple-double.
All things considered, it left many basketball fans in awe and hoping for a seven-game NBA Finals between the Spurs and Cavs.
