The NBA’s HORSE competition is set to start tomorrow, and the matchups are set.
Here’s a look at who will be going up against each other for the right to play in the semifinals and championship round later next week.
Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley
Chris Paul is one of the undisputed all-time point gods with a big bag of trick shots and good range, so he’s understandably favored pretty heavily over former WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley (1.3 to 3.2). However, he shouldn’t take her lightly, considering that she’s a former back-to-back Three-Point Shootout contest winner.
She’s also got a pretty fast release, and is capable of making some slick moves around the basket, so don’t count her out just yet.
Mike Conley vs. Tamika Catchings
Mike Conley has never really been known for his range, averaging around 37.5% from beyond the arc for his career.
He’s even more heavily favored in his matchup (1.2 to 4) and his best bet to beat former WNBA Finals MVP Tamika Catchings will probably be to try and use some acrobatic moves around the hoop – because his opponent is currently 40 and probably doesn’t have the same spring in her step that she used to.
Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups
Trae Young and Chauncey Billups are surprisingly closely matched in the odds (1.55 to 2.3) and that feels a little weird. Billups had a pretty decent outside shot, reaching a single season peak of 43.3% from beyond the arc, but that was in the 2005-06 season when his opponent was roughly eight years old. Billups did shoot 44.1% in 2010-11 with Denver, before his shooting dipped after getting sent to the Knicks in the infamous Carmelo Anthony trade.
Young, though, is from the new school of NBA shooters that was popularized by Steph Curry. He routinely takes shots from spots that never would have been allowed by any of Billups’ coaches, so I think Young will rely on his range.
Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce
Zach LaVine and Paul Pierce have the closest matchup odds-wise (1.7 to 2), but there’s a reason for that: dunking is not allowed in this contest.
That helps even out the field for retired NBA legend Pierce, who at the age of 40 likely wouldn’t have the hops to attempt 360 slams or just about any other creative dunk that LaVine would throw at him.
Pierce was no scoring slouch in his prime, but he’s 42 now. They say the last thing to go for a basketball player is their shooting touch, and he’s going to have to hope this is true.
Out of the field, I like Trae Young the most to win the competition. He got knocked out of the NBA 2K Players Tournament the other day, so he’s going to want to win this pretty badly too.
