1-on-1: Kobe vs. LeBron for the last shot

Better.

The more attractive or favorable of the two. More advantageous or effective between peers. Higher accuracy or overall performance when measured against one another.

But how do you measure it? Is the answer in the stats?

One of these guys grabs a couple more rebounds, dishes out a couple more assists and averages a couple more points per game. They both won big in the 2008-2009 regular season, separated by just a single win. But one of them won just a little bit bigger.

Translation: 1 NBA Championship.

The jersey numbers?

23: 24.

The handsomeness of their respective puppets?

The better alias? King; Mamba.

Doesn't matter.

Look, there's 82 games in a season. Each one's 48 minutes long. And eight other guys have something to do with almost every single trip down the floor. So we're not going to make this easy on you and simply toss out a weak little "who's better" question.

We're getting down to the finer points of hoop.

And if you're keen on the clues listed above, you already know it's Kobe vs. LeBron in the first round of 1-on-1.

In one corner you've got LeBron's uncanny knack for breaking down the opposing team's defensive scheme paired with complete unselfishness.

Send two or three dudes to cut off his driving angle and not only does he have the magical court vision to find the open man, he completely trusts his teammates to knock down game-winning shots.

Doesn't hurt that kid's 6'8" 250 - and even sending three might not be enough. Or that he's improved his midrange J and long distance game to the point that even playoff pressure no longer stands in his way when drilling a 28-footer for the win is called for.

In the other corner you've got Kobe's unparalleled killer instinct.

Send the whole damn team after him and he's still going to find a way to bury you. He's got the unblockable baseline fadeaway, a feathery, old-school window game and that lightning rod laser from deep.

And even after more than a decade of ripping out his opponent's heart come winning time, Kobe still has the bounce to turn 7-footers into posters.

The question:

Down a bucket. 15 seconds left on the clock. Coach just spent the last minute hyperventilating over a dry erase board, mocking up the last shot.

Kobe. LeBron.

Who would you want to take it?