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The reason why Steve Nash is largely considered the top point guard in the NBA is the fact that he gets his teammates involved, makes them play better together and is a natural leader.

The same can be said of Chauncey Billups of Detroit, Tony Parker of San Antonio and Deron Williams of Utah. Coincidentally, each of their teams were alive deep into the NBA playoffs.

Baron Davis, who led Golden State in its first-round upset win over Dallas, can be mentioned in the same sentence as these players, but he has become too injury prone. Williams is only in his second year and will be judged more accurately if he continues to make the Jazz perennial winners.

Therefore, with the combination of leadership, teammate involvement, chemistry producer, and longevity, the competition for the second-best point guard behind Nash boils down to Billups and Parker.

Each has guided his respective team to an NBA title, including Parker this year with a Finals MVP performance. Their championships solidify their place in NBA history, but what individual statistic matters the most to a point guard?

Assists, of course, which means getting others involved. Taking it one step further, the comparison of assists to turnovers is a true indicator of how a point guard is a stabilizing force for his team.

This is where Billups has Parker beat. During the 2006-07 season and throughout his career, Billups has played under control and has been the glue for the Pistons. During the regular season, Billups posted 3.59 assists for every turnover, the second-best ratio in the league behind Washington's Antonio Daniels (4.2).

Parker apologists can say all of that does not matter judging by his Finals performance. Who did Parker have to guard against? Who on Cleveland's roster could guard him? Parker was a meager (by NBA standards) 39th in the league with a 2.2 assists-to-turnovers mark.

Billups averaged 7.2 assists per game, which is decidedly less than Nash's league-leading 11.6 mark. The argument can be made that Billups plays on a defensive-minded team that does not have the run-and-gun style of Nash's Suns. Parker only averaged 5.5 assists a game, which is questionable considering that he has scorers on his team such as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Michael Finley.

Parker has the scoring edge over Billups, only slightly with an 18.6 points-per-game average against Billups' 17. Scoring, however, should not be in the equation of determining a top-notch point guard. What is worth mentioning is that Billups is 10 percentage points better than Parker at the free-throw line (88.3 percent for Billups compared to Parker's 78.3).

A point guard's effectiveness at the free-throw line can not be understated. Teams look for leadership from their primary ball-handler late in the game, and a good gauge for the most calm and cool in the game is demonstrated at the free-throw line.

In this comparison of Billups and Parker, one thing is for certain: Both are lost among the flash and dazzling style of many point guards. Fans who want to be entertained by a point guard, no matter if his team wins or loses, would rather watch Gilbert Arenas and Allen Iverson.

You won't see either Billups and Parker dominating the shoe ads on TV, or be the headliner on SportsCenter.

What you will see is Billups and Parker getting the most out of their skills, and while doing so, they are making their respective teams play at their highest level.

Learn more about this author, Javier Morales.
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