by Isaiah Montoya

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: September 28, 2011

NBA point guards simply run the team, either into failure or success. The successful point guards almost always think of the other players on the team first, and therefore allow for maximum team play, which equals wins. Who are the top 15 point guards in NBA history?

When Rod Strickland was at the helm his teams were good - very good. Though he never won a championship, his Spurs, Blazers and Wizards were contenders. He averaged over 7 assists and 13 points per game through a 17-year career. He is ranked 15th.

Mark Jackson has proved he isn't one of the best game commentators of all time with his incessant, and now completely foolish, insistence that Bryant is better than Jordan. But he is the 14th greatest point guard ever. He has connected on more total career assists than even Magic Johnson, and is ranked number two all-time behind John Stockton with more than 10,300.

Sam Cassell, 13th, has now won three championships, since the Celtics are up 3-1 on the Lakers in the 2008 Finals. As a rookie and second-year player he shared PG duties with Kenny Smith to win the 1994 and 1995 NBA titles. Also a great scorer and fearless clutch player, Cassell added confidence to the first Boston team to win a title since 1986.

Jason Kidd led the Nets to the Finals in 2002 and 2003, but both times they lost. Nevertheless Kidd is one of the most precise and exciting passers of all time. His shooting percentage has always been low, which may be a contributing factor to his Finals losses. They would have won if he had shot well. He is the 12th greatest point guard ever.

Kevin Johnson was at times unstoppable - at running the team and as an individual scorer. This was evident in 1993 when he led a Suns team that included Charles Barkley, Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge, and Oliver Miller to the NBA Finals. They lost to Jordan and the Bulls, but Johnson controlled the team of stars and egos very well. He is the 11th greatest point guard ever.

Steve Nash, 10th, has never won a title but was named NBA MVP in 2005 and 2006. By averaging over 10 assists both seasons, Nash became a force to deal with every single night. Nash is an active player and fantastic shooter, being one of the shortest players in NBA history to regularly shoot over 50 percent from the field in many seasons. He still has a chance to win titles since he is in his early 30s.

Probably the least-known player on the Top 15 list, Avery Johnson, ninth, did lead his team to a

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