NBA FAN EDITORIAL |
August 12, 2002 |
The Best Pure Point Guards: Two Different Players, Two Different Men
By SJS
A look at the opponent, a smile as a choirboy, which
exposes his white teeth, and a twinkle in his eye. Meanwhile his mind is working
over-time. His eyes shift from left to right. He looks like a nice young man,
someone who was a sweet little boy once and plays in the NBA now. Looks are misleading.
He knows that as he is looking left just before he is going to make a move to
the right. His defender doesn't even look at his eyes. He is looking at the shot
clock ticking away. 14-13-12-11-10. He knows he is going to make his move and
starts looking at him with one eye but keeps the other on the shot clock. He knows
the time, he knows where everyone is positioned and tries to read the play based
on that information. He doesn't smile until the end of the game but then the man
really changes. Then a warm smile like the smile of a family man will appear on
his face, with him it's not deceiving. He's not smiling now though, not now. His
opponent starts his move. To the left, then quickly to the right to take it to
the basket. The lay-up is good, performed exceptionally well. The ball already
is back in the hands of the other guy, who lets his teammates know which play
they are going to run. But with less than a minute left, everybody knows what
is going to happen. Three guys on one side, two on the other. He is one of the
two. A screen and roll occurs. One of the defenders switches to stop him from
going to the basket. The family man already knows it and passes it to the open
man on the other side of the floor who is just behind the three-point line. The
shot is good, and someone chalks a little vertical stripe behind the category
assists. Time-out is taken.
Isiah Thomas and John Stockton are arguably the best pure point guards in the
history of the NBA. Pure point guards, meaning they played nothing but the point.
Two different guys with two different styles of play. Stockton is the passer,
the man of the accurate passes and the dull but effective mid-range shots. Thomas
is the entertainer.
The debate never ends. Some say that Thomas deserves the title of the best pure
point guard. He fought for every ball, and never stopped. He was a great clutch
player, a great scorer, a great shooter and a great passer. And a great leader,
as proven by the two championships he led his Pistons to.
Others say that John Stockton is better. The NBA all-time
leader in assists and steals, Stockton led his team to two NBA finals, both ending
in losses to the Bulls. He led the NBA in assists for nine consecutive years,
dished the most assists in a single year and he averaged a stunning 14.5 apg in
the 1989-90 season. Stockton has shot better than 50% from the field in 12 seasons
and connected on an average of 52% of his shots throughout his career. He's about
to play his 19th season, and has only missed 22 games in 18 years. No championships,
though. But teams win championships, not individual players.
These guys are as different as night and day. Stockton grew up in the lovely city
of Spokane, Washington. He went to local Gonzaga University. His dad owns a tavern
a few blocks away. On the court he isn't exactly a gentleman, setting nasty picks,
planting elbows, but he's no fighter, just a tough player.
Thomas, on the other hand, grew up in a tough neighbourhood in Chicago where his
mother tried to keep him and his brothers and sisters alive. There was little
money, and no room in the house. Some of his brothers took the wrong path in life,
despite his mother's efforts. But Isiah also learned from his brothers. "They
told me about the mistakes they had made so I wouldn't have to make them," Thomas
said. He went to Indiana University, played for Bobby Knight, and against Knight's
wishes, left college after his sophomore season.
Two totally different guys playing exactly the same spot and fighting for the
same title, that of best pure point guard in NBA history. Thomas has the prices
(NCAA championship, 2 NBA titles, Finals MVP) while Stockton has the statistics
(NBA All-Time leader in assists and steals, NBA leader in assists per game for
nine consecutive times - a record, averaged 14.5 apg one season, also a record).
Which guy was the best? Lets say they both were.
SJS, founder of and writer for the Utah Jazz fan site
www.geocities.com/sc_utahjazz
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