USA Today Sports
On Monday night, Tony Parker scored 37 points as the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals with a four game sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Parker’s 37-point performance comes on the heels of a 26 -point showing which comes on the heels on an 18-assist evening the game before that. Okay, you get the gist of things — Parker is elite, nobody is arguing that.
But, is Parker the best point guard in the NBA?
I know, I know, let’s pump the brakes on this debate, right? You have players like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook and young stars like Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving. And of course, the injured section which is headlined by Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo.
So, where does Parker rank? Could he really be the best of them all? Parker has always been considered elite and his numbers and play during the Spurs’ postseason run here in 2013 speaks for itself. But let’s not rush to a judgement and consider him to be the best player at the point guard position. He’s certainly among them, but you could break this debate down into a number of different factors.
For example, Westbrook or Rose might be the best scoring threats from the group, while Curry is probably the best shooter. Rondo is likely the top passer and facilitator, but Paul or Irving might be the best play makers. It’s tough to determine who’s the best all-around because of the immense amount of talent — it’s the same for nearly every position in nearly every sport, fans will simply always have their own opinions.
Things change and right now, Parker has all the reasons in the world to be considered as the top point guard. Is he the best in the game overall though? My vote is no, but he is the only one left standing among his elite competitors and isn’t winning titles one of the major factors in these types of debates?
You make the call.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
