Antawn informs us that he holds a 12-game winning streak going into the matchup, so while he is showering after practice, Albert warms up with some 3-on-3 on one of NBA 2K2's street games. When Antawn arrives, the three Mavericks are dominating the three Warriors, 25-4. "You're the Warriors, huh?" Antawn says sympathetically. "Nope, the Mavericks," Albert replies.

Antawn's eyes widen.

Game 1:

"A'ight, let's get started," Antawn proclaims, grabbing his controller. "How do you shoot?"

What? What about that 12-game winning streak? "I haven't played this in a while," he explains. Albert is gracious enough to give his big brother some basic instructions as the game gets underway. Albert sticks with the Mavericks while Antawn predictably takes the Warriors in a regular, 5-on-5 exhibition.

Antawn ties the score at 2-2 off a shot from his cyber self, but then Albert's Mavericks go on a run. Over a period of 40 seconds, Steve Nash hits two three-pointers and Dirk Nowitzki sinks a trey of his own. Suddenly, Albert's Mavericks lead Antawn's Warriors 10-2 with 3:30 to play in the first quarter.

Antawn stops the bleeding by hitting two free throws, while Albert makes the adjustment for automatic substitutions. "Get the rebound!" Antawn cries in frustration as Nowitzki answers with a mega putback slam. Mavericks lead 12-4.

Thirty seconds later, the Warriors close the gap to 15-8 off an artistic dunk by cyber Jamison. The NBA 2K2 announcer exclaims, "I really love watching this guy work!" To which Antawn answers, "Thank you. I appreciate that." Antawn is periodically talking to his players … or at his players, but Albert remains quiet, with his full concentration on the game.

Toward the end of the first quarter, Antawn asks if you can play a zone defense in this game. With his Mavericks comfortably leading 21-12, Albert responds that yes, a 2-3 zone is available. "Well, I need to do something different out here," Antawn says. "How do you go into a zone and stuff?" Albert charitably shows him, then scores easily on a Greg Buckner fadeaway.

Larry Hughes hits one of two free throws with three seconds left and the first quarter ends with Albert's Mavericks having led all the way. 1st Q: DAL 23, GSW 15

"Comeback time!" Antawn announces at the start of the second quarter, but no sooner are the words out of his mouth than does his cyber self miss his first shot. Nowitzki answers with a jumper. The Mavericks take their biggest lead so far, 25-15. Cyber Jamison then gets the bucket and the foul, while on the other end of the floor, Erick Dampier blocks a Nowitzki shot. Hughes takes the outlet pass and pulls up for a trey, which easily finds the bottom of the net. Antawn is now only four points behind his younger brother, 25-21, thanks to the 6-0 run.

"I just got accustomed to what I'm doing," Antawn says. "Let's go!" But when Nowitzki hits another shot, Antawn commands his players to "slow it down." Just as Dampier is making a steal, Antawn's cell phone begins to ring. He doesn't flinch and the ball gets back to Dampier for the reverse lay-in.

Antawn finally calls timeout, presumably to answer the phone. But instead, he silences the ringer – the game is too important to be interrupted. He laughs as he turns his attention back to the huddle. "That's the wrong coach over there," he says, seeing the cyber Dave Cowens on the Warriors' bench. Cowens was fired on Dec. 15 and replaced by assistant coach Brian Winters – too late for the change on NBA 2K2. Back to business, Antawn calls for some subs. "I need some shooters out there."

Albert has been letting his game do the talking for him, although a Dampier block on a Nash shot brings out words of protest. "Come on!" Bob Sura hits a runner and the Mavericks cling to a 29-27 lead with 2:04 to play in the half. Albert answers with a Juwan Howard jam, but Antawn comes right back with a turn-and-shoot post move. "You can't stop him! You can only hope to contain him!" Antawn bellows.

Another cyber Jamison shot earns high praise from real life Antawn. "Way to go kid! Way to keep the team in there!" The NBA 2K2 announcer says, "I love how he plays this game" and Antawn mimics, "He LOVES how I play this game."

As the half winds down, the Mavericks begin to struggle from the free throw line. Michael Finley can only hit one of two, eliciting some smack from Antawn. "He can't hit his free throws!" Albert takes this silently, but has to protest a cyber Jamison dunk that ends the half. "That's not supposed to count! He can't make a jump shot, that's why he's dunking," Albert explains. Half: DAL 36, GSW 33

As if in response, cyber Jamison opens the second half with a jumper to pull the Warriors to within one point. "He's on fire!" Antawn gloats. Nowitzki hits a jumper to make the score 38-35 and then Chris Mills sinks a three-pointer. "Tie game, let's go!" Antawn encourages his troops. The Warriors then take their first lead off a Mills three-pointer a minute later, 43-42. "Way to move the ball!"

When the Warriors get the ball back, so does Mills. "What you got Mills?" Antawn asks his cyber teammate. Mills responds with a miss. Albert doesn't miss the opportunity. The Mavericks run off nine straight points – seven from Finley. But Albert's nemesis, the free throw line, returns and by this point, Antawn's in full smack mode. "He can't shoot now," Antawn chides as Nash misses two free throws. A bit later, Nowitzki breaks the curse, sinking both freebies. But Antawn's not going to lay off ribbing his younger brother. "He's got the sweaty palms!"

The Warriors score four more points and Nowitzki lays it in to close the third quarter. Albert only needs to hold off Antawn for five more minutes after his Mavericks outscored the Warriors 22-11 after the break. 3rd: DAL 55, GSW 47

Nowitzki widens the lead to 10 points as the fourth quarter begins, but Antawn goes into his clutch game. His Warriors rattle off nine points, capped by a Hughes jumper that Antawn finds questionable. "That's a two? I thought it was a three!" he bemoans. A Howard layup gives the Mavericks a three-point lead, but Mookie Blaylock eliminates that with a trey on the other end. "Tie it up! Let's go!" Antawn calls.

The score stays tied at 61-61 with 2:30 left to play and Albert calls timeout. Both Jamison brothers wipe their palms against their pants and upon hearing snickers from the room, Antawn says, "Hey, I love pressure. But I don't think he can handle it." Albert responds with a Finley jumper. Mavericks lead 63-61.

Cyber Jamison jams and real life Antawn taunts, "In your face!" Game's tied. Albert has mastered the free throws when it counts and Nash sinks two, 65-63. The Warriors take the ball down and Sura misses a layup, much to Albert's delight. "Yes! Loving it!" But Antawn is disgusted. "There's no way he's going to miss layups like that." As if to verify this, Sura makes his next two layups. Game's still tied, 67-67.

With 32 seconds to play, Finley jams to give the Mavericks a 71-69 lead. But on the other end, Blaylock misses a jumper. "Yes!" Albert exclaims, feeling the momentum shifting. Nowitzki jams and the Mavericks' defense then knocks the ball away from cyber Jamison. Finley seals the deal with 0.4 seconds left when he swishes a trey. Albert pumps his fist in victory. The 12-game streak is snapped. Final: DAL 76, GSW 69

Parting Shots:

Albert is a gracious winner, remaining quiet as he did through most of the game. Antawn's not pleased with the outcome, but generally happy with his cyber self, who scored 30 points on 86 percent field goal shooting.

"Thirty points and two misses on the night's not too bad. It's nice. You feel like you're out there playing, " Antawn says. "They've got my moves. Except for the jump shots. I think I'm a lot better shooting the ball than they've got in the game. But other than that, I think they did an excellent job."

We ask Albert for his expert opinion, at which Antawn scoffs, "He wins one game and he's an expert," but Albert lets it slide. "I think it's realistic. The rates of the players are like it is in real life basically," he weighs in. "No one is too good or not good enough."

"I've been playing video games for a long time, sports games especially. NBA 2K2 is one of the most realistic games out there," Antawn says. "Guys love the competition. You feel like you're out there on the court and you're competing. For some people who don't have the opportunity to go play out there, this gives you the opportunity … you know, talk junk and things like that. I think it brings the reality of what really goes on to the homes of people playing the video games."

And it also gives the chance for little brother to beat big brother – at least once – out on the court.