Larry legend enters the tournament against an athletic power forward in Rudy Gay.  

Larry Bird is a one-of-a-kind power forward, with the ability to hit jump shots with incredible consistency at almost any range. Gay, on the other hand, is an extremely athletic power forward who plays much more like a shooting guard.  

The one enormous advantage that Bird has in this matchup, aside from his mustache, is the efficiency that defines his game. Bird's efficiency rating for his career is 23.5 percent, as compared to Gay's 16 percent average.

Gay's athleticism will keep him in this game early on, with his ability to get to the rim being the foundation of his game in this matchup. Ultimately, though, Bird will start hitting the mid and long-range jumpers that defined his career.  

Bird pulls away from Gay and earns himself a spot in the second round.

Here is a matchup of two powerful centers. One of the strongest points of both of these players is their ability to draw double-teams because of their absolutely dominating play in the paint.  

While they are both similarly sized, the fact that Howard has 25 pounds of pure muscle on Ewing gives him an advantage in this matchup.  

The finesse that Howard lacks in his ability to shoot he makes up for by his freakish strength and post moves. Ewing would undoubtedly hit some jumpers and hook shots against Howard, showing off his fine-tuned basketball skills, but ultimately, Howard would power past him in the post.  

Defense will be the difference in this game, and Howard will play with more athleticism and more tenacity than Ewing, ultimately giving him a slight edge in a close matchup.

The Clippers should adore NBA Commissioner David Stern: everyone from Mo Williams to Blake Griffin and operator Donald Sterling should right away include Stern to their Christmas—or Chanukah, as Stern is Jewish—card list, for without the need of him, the Clippers would certainly not have gotten their latest MVP, Chris Paul.