NBA teams
J.A. Adande, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Guards have taken the NBA by storm

NBA, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls

The state of the NBA teams on ABC Sunday is like the state of the league right now. The Thunder, Rockets and Clippers are being carried by their top guards and the Bulls are waiting for their top guard to return (Bulls-Thunder, 1 p.m. ET; Rockets-Clippers, 3:30). Smaller guards carry games and even seasons more than ever.

The shift started in 2007, but we didn't notice because it involved Tony Parker and we never notice him. He's constantly left out of the great point guards discussions, which is a reason why there's an erroneous belief that none of these great guards has led a team to a championship. Parker was the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 NBA Finals, when he scored 25 more points than the next-closest Spur and San Antonio swept LeBron James' Cavaliers.

But Parker couldn't get the Spurs back to the top (Kawhi Leonard "arrived" to make the 2014 Spurs the champions) and none of the new wave of guards could grab a ring for himself.

This season feels different. The leading MVP candidates are Stephen Curry and James Harden. Yes, Harden is officially a shooting guard, but let's not act as if he doesn't have point guard duties for the Rockets. He has 454 of the team's 1,430 assists, the leader by more than 270.

Westbrook might not be an MVP candidate in my book, but the Thunder's season would already be over if not for him. He's been so dominant that it isn't hard to imagine the Thunder being Westbrook-centric even after Kevin Durant's foot feels good enough for him to play again. After all, any time Westbrook has the ball he can always pass it to Durant. That's a great option for the Thunder and a terrible dilemma for defenses.

How Chris Paul re-integrates Blake Griffin into the Clippers offense is just as fascinating. In Griffin's first extended absence since Paul came to the Clippers in 2011, Paul has averaged 21 points and 12 assists per game, up from 18 and 10. The Clippers have stayed in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture through a tough docket of games when they seemed at risk of tumbling down to a low seed. I said that it was time for the Clippers to see how far Griffin could take them, since it seemed like Paul had maxed out at the second round. Paul's play of late merits another shot with him in charge.

The Bulls would love to have these issues. That would mean Derrick Rose was playing. The last time he got through a playoffs intact he had them within three wins of the NBA Finals. The Bulls don't know how much of that player is left. They don't know how fluid their ideal starting lineup can work together, since they've only had it for 19 games this season. What they do know is that they can't win a championship without Rose playing at a high level.

The hand-checking limits have turned the NBA into the domain of fast-driving guards -- like Harden, Paul, Westbrook and Rose when he's healthy. It's made it more likely than ever that a smaller player can be the key figure on a championship team.

It should give teams with the top picks in this draft pause before they select big men Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns. Once upon a time, they would have been automatic choices. Are they the path to a championship?

No low-post player has been the Finals MVP since Tim Duncan in 2005. No center has won a regular-season MVP since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.

Kyrie Irving's scoring explosion makes it worth noting that no center has gone for 50-plus points since Shaq scored 61 against the Clippers on his birthday in 2000. Centers don't have the low-post skills they used to, and coaches aren't enthralled with giving them the ball and letting their guys develop them. They want 3-pointers, which typically means they want guards shooting.

Pretty much what you can expect to see Sunday.

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