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