Bill, I hate you. You have dedicated your life to the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics, two teams that I associate with the devil. You have also made it your life mission to hate three of my most favorite sports teams, the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, and Duke Blue Devils (Wikipedia told me that). However, you're one of the reasons why I do this. Keep up the good work. And remember, I hate you.
Now to the matter at hand. I am hardly a basketball player, but when I do happen to make it onto a court, I make sure to play the sport's best (... in my opinion) position: point guard. I love point guards, whether they be pass-first (my personal preference) or shoot-first, pure or unorthodox. The point guard is by far the game's most important player, an extension of the coach on the court, a team's offensive coordinator. A point guard must know when to run and when to slow down the pace of the game, when to feed the stars and when to get the role players involved. Their job goes beyond being able to pass well; they must know when to shoot, and must have both an exceptional basketball IQ and first-class court vision.
Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo all fit my criteria for a superstar point guard, and are poised to take the reins from guys like Jason Kidd, Chauncy Billups, Tony Parker and Steve Nash. Each of them possess an amazing and unique skill set, and are also leaders. At least two of them have been asked to carry the franchise (CP3 and D-Rose), but all four of them are clearly the most important asset to their team. And yes, that includes Rondo. The Jazz have a list of veterans and are deeper than most NBA teams, but would not have been competing in the 2007 Western Conference Finals without Williams (who was in his second season at the time). Chris Paul led his team to 56 wins last season and was second in MVP voting. Derrick Rose is the current Rookie of the Year, and has had the task of the being the man in Chicago since draft day. Rondo is what makes the Celtics unbeatable; His play is as important to Boston as The Big Three's.
They can all get to the basket. Whether it's through power like Deron Williams, or speed like Rondo, they can all penetrate and finish. They also force defenses to collapse, allowing shooters to be freed up on the perimeter, leading to open shots for their shooters. It's not their fault that those guys can't hit.
To piggyback off of that thought, the four of them put up great assist numbers. For the '08-'09 NBA season: Paul - 11 (led NBA), Williams - 10.7 (2nd in the NBA), Rose - 6.3 (led all rookies) and Rondo - 8.2 (6th in the NBA). This is the second year that CP3 led the NBA in assists. Deron Williams was the only other player to hit double figures. And the two younger stars did not disappoint, as we can only expect for their numbers to increase as they become older and more efficient.
Chris Paul averages a double-double (22.8-11), while also leading the NBA in steals. Deron Williams also averages double digits in two statistical categories (19.4-10.7). Derrick Rose's 16.8 ppg was the second best among rookies. and Rajon Rondo? Even though he only averaged 5.2 rebounds along with 11.9 points and 8.2 assists, I am more than convinced that he could average a triple-double for a season.
Let's be honest. No one doubts the fact that Chris Paul and Deron Williams are battling it out for the current number one spot. As Bill Simmons already said, these 2 have a rivalry for the ages, and we are fortunate enough to have them both in the same conference (that means more head-to-head matchups). However, I am 100% sure that D-Rose and R² will be challenging them for years to come, while maintaining their own East Coast rivalry (also brought up by B.S.). These four are the reason why I watch this game, and the reason why you should too.
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