Number 10 – Karl Malone, 2085

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Steals? Yes, The Mailman, besides being an awesome offensive force, had some defensive skills. He made the NBA All-Defensive team three times (1997-1999), getting late career recognition for that aspect of his game. Steals? He never led the league or the team in steals, that’s what happens when you have Stockton with you, but Malone never averaged less than a steal per game and his career average of 1.41 is 43rd all time.

Number 9 – Alvin Robertson, 2112

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Now on his way to being a convicted felon, Robertson was once the NBA’s defensive player of the year. He won the award for the 1985-1986 season during his time as a San Antonio Spurs player (he also played for the Bucks, Pistons and Raptors). Robertson averaged 3.71 steals per game that season, leading the league in steals for the first time out of three times. Robertson is also one of only four players in NBA history to record a quadruple-double, scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing 10 assists and getting 10 steals as the Spurs face the Suns. He has more 10 steal-games than any other player (4), and his career average of 2.71 is the best in NBA history.

Number 8 – Hakeem Olajuwon, 2162

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Hakeem did everything, and stealing was one of them as expected for a man described as a small forward in a Center body. A two time defensive player of the year (1993-1994) and a five time All-Defensive team member, Olajuwon averaged 1.75 steals per game throughout his career, 23rd in NBA history, by far the best mark for a center. He averaged over 2 steals per game five times during his 18 seasons in the league, with 2.6 being his best mark. Olajuwon is also one of the four men to achieve the quadruple-double.

Number 7 – Clyde Drexler, 2207

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Always linked with Olajuwon, Drexler, who played in the NBA from 1983 to 1998, besides being a hall of famer and a great, great player, is also (probably) the reason for the Blazers going for Sam Bowie and not Michael Jordan back in the 1984 draft. They didn’t need another shooting guard, did they?
Drexler averaged 2.03 steals per game throughout his career, 9th best in NBA history. He finished among the top 10 in steals six times, including averaging a career best 2.7 in the 1988-1989 season.

Number 6 – Scottie Pippen, 2307

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One of the greatest defenders in NBA history and a player young guys always get compared to when they showcase versatility and the ability to do about anything on the court. Pippen, probably the best sidekick in NBA history, played in the NBA for 18 seasons, mostly with the Chicago Bulls (6 titles) and spent some time with the Rockets and Blazers in his twilight years. He averaged 1.96 steals throughout his career, 13th best all time, leading the league in the 1994-1995 season with 2.9 per game. Pippen was part of the NBA’s All-Defensive first team eight times (1992-1999).

Number 5 – Maurice Cheeks, 2310

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The assistant coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder was quite a player, and although maybe not the flashiest guys on offense, Cheeks was one of the better point guards when it came to defense. When he retired he was the NBA’s all time leader in steals and his career average of 2.1 is 8th best in NBA history. He averaged over 2 steals per game in each season of his first 10 in the league, and was an NBA All-Defensive team member four times (1983-1986).

Number 4 – Jason Kidd, 2343

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The man who begun his summer vacation just last week (a little earlier than he expected, again) is the NBA’s active leader in steals, with a career average of 1.97, 12th best all time. Kidd led the league in total steals (175) back in 2001-2002, when he was playing with the Nets, leading them to NBA finals. He was part of the All-Defensive first team four times, making his last inclusion in 2006. He averaged 1.8 this season, and if he plays for two more years he’ll probably be number 2 on the all time list, like he is with assists.

Number 3 – Gary Payton, 2445

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The Glove is the only point guard in NBA history to win the NBA Defensive player of the year award back in 1996 and was an All-Defensive first team member nine times. He led the league in steals back in 1995-1996, averaging 2.9 and his career average of 1.83 is 20th all-time.

Number 2 – Michael Jordan, 2514

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The greatest ever was probably, when he turned it on, the greatest defender ever. 1988 – Defensive player of the year, along with that insignificant MVP award. He was a nine time All-Defensive First Team member. Jordan’s career average of 2.35 is the third highest in NBA history behind Alvin Robertson and Michael Ray Richardson. He also led the league in steals on three occasions – 1987-1988, averaging 3.2, 1989-1990, averaging 2.8 and finally in 1992-1993, averaging 2.8. During his second comeback with the Wizards, closing in on 40, Jordan still averaged 1.4-1.5 steals per game.

Number 1 – John Stockton, 3265

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Stockton was only 6′1, weighing 170 pounds, but he was one of the toughest defenders out there, maybe would say also one of the dirtiest. His career total of 3265 seems to be in no risk of getting demoted to second, like his assists total. Stockton played for 19 seasons and rarely missed games or got injured, making his records seemingly unbreakable. He led the league in steals twice and his 2.17 career average is sixth best all time. He was a All-Defensive Second team member five times.

Active Players -

Jason Kidd is the number one among the active players, followed by Allen Iverson (we’ll call him still active), with 1983 steals (12th all time), averaging 2.17 per game, 7th in NBA history. Next up is 28th all time Kobe Bryant with 1554 steals, averaging 1.52 steals per game, 37th all time. Garnett (33rd), Shawn Marion (39th), Baron Davis (41st), Ron Artest (48th) and Paul Pierce (49th) complete the list of active players in the top 50. LeBron, just for general knowledge, is 148th currently with 955 steals. His career average of 1.7 is enough for being in the top 30 all-time.

Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

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It was about a month ago, against the Chicago Bulls (who beat the Cavs last night, making it 2-1 for Cleveland in their first round series) that LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 15,000 points in his career, finishing the night with 29 points and 11 boards. He finished the season with his career mark at 15,251 points, 110th all-time. He’s 18th among active players, with Grant Hill above him at 17th.

LeBron also became the Cavs’ all-time leader in minutes played on March 5 as the Cavs beat the Piston 99-92, surpassing Žydrūnas Ilgauskas. LeBron finished the season with a career mark of 22,108 minutes, 40.3 minutes per game for his career, the 5th highest all time.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

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January 21, 2010 – The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Lakers for the second time this season (finals preview?) 93-87 with LeBron having another monster night with 37 points and 9 assists. Kobe scored 31, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 25,000 points in his career. He finished the season with 25,790 points, putting him at 12th all-time, 605 points shy of John Havlicek. He’ll make the top 10 next season. Another big milestone for Kobe this year came about 10 days later, February 1. Again, a Lakers loss, this time to the Memphis Gizzlies, 95-93. Kobe scored 44 points in that losing effort, but he surpassed Jerry Wests’ 25,192 points as a Laker and became the number one scorer in Los Angeles Lakers history, with West, Jabbar, Baylor and Magic trailing him.

Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks

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This was probably the biggest thing in the early part of this season – Less than two months after his 20th birthday, Brandon Jennings exploded for 55 points in the Bucks’ 129-125 win against the Warriors. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score more than 50 points, and missed the all-time rookie record of 58, posted by none over than Wilt Chamberlain by 3 points. Jennings finished the season with 15.5 points per game, leading the Bucks into the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks

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Eleven days later, on November 25, 2009, Jason Kidd dished out 7 assists in the Dallas Mavericks’ win against the Houston Rockets (130-99), reaching 10,337, overtaking Marc Jackson’s second place on the NBA’s all-time career assists list. Kidd finished the season with 724 assists, averaging 9.1 per game (5th in the league). His career mark is now at 10,923, almost 5000 less than the probably untouchable John Stockton with 15,806. Kidd’s career average of 9.2 is 6th best all-time.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

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Durant had a huge night against the Lakers on Thursday, leading the Thunder to their first playoff win since leaving Seattle, scoring 29 points and grabbing 17 boards, cutting the Lakers’ lead to 2-1 in their first round series. In an incredible season for Durant and OKC, Kevin became the youngest player ever to win the NBA’s scoring title, averaging 30.1 points per game, beating LeBron James by 0.4 points as James got to sit out for the final week or so of the regular season. More than that, Durant emerged as one of the biggest start in the league this season, looking like a scoring champions for many years to come and a perennial MVP candidate in the future.

Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors

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On January 3, 2010, Chris Bosh scored 22 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-86, becoming the franchise’s all time leading scorer, reaching 9,428 points, beating Vince Carter’s 9,420. Bosh finished the season with 10,275 career points and is the first Raptor to pass the 10,000 mark. Despite having a great season, averaging 24 points with 10.8 rebounds per game, The Raptors missed the playoffs, mostly due to Bosh missing games late in the season, sidelined by injury. There’s a good chance CB4 won’t be playing in Canada from next season.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

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January 13, 2010 – The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Maverick 100-95. Dirk Nowitzki, the best Mavs player ever, scores 30 points, becoming the first European player to score 20,000 career points. Nowiztki finished the season averaging 25 points per game, with his career mark set at 21,111, 32nd best all-time and 5th among active players. However, Nowitzki isn’t the first European-BORN player to reach 20,000, as Dominique Wilkins, born in Paris, France, did it before, finishing his career with 26,668 points, 10th best all-time.

Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks

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On February 2, Josh Smith, at the age of 24, became the youngest player in NBA history to block 1,000 shots in his career, during the Hawks’ loss to the Thunder. Smith finished the season with 173 blocks, 2.1 per game, third in the NBA this season. His 1,070 career blocks is good for 68th all-time and 15th among active players.

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

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Six seasons into his NBA career, Dwight Howard managed to become the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and blocks in the same season twice. Howard averaged 13.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, lower than his 13.8-2.9 mark of last season. This is also the third consecutive season he has led the league in rebounds. Howard is 72nd all time in Blocks, 17th among active players. His career rebounding average of 12.7 is the best among active players.

Kyle Korver, Utah Jazz

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Kyle Korver didn’t have a great season, missing 30 games and not starting even one for the Utah Jazz, but he did set a new NBA record, hitting 53.6% of his three point shots, breaking Steve Kerr’s 15 year old 52.4% record. Korver is 41% from outside in his career, 13th best all-time and 6th among active players.

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In the Mavs’ 117-94 beating of the Clippers, Jason Kidd fed Shawn Marion with a great pass off the board, resulting in this great dunk.

Number 10 – Theo Ratliff, San Antonio Spurs, 36

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Born on April 17th, 1973, in Demopolis, Alabama, Ratliff will be starting his 15th NBA season in 2009-2010. This time it will be with the San Antonio Spurs, his 7th NBA team. Like in recent years, he’ll try to give a few minutes rest to the big guys in the starting five. Last season he didn’t get to start any games, and averaged 12.6 minutes a night.

Number 9 – Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks, 36

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The future hall of famer was born on March 23, 1973, in San Francisco, California. Kidd, one of the league’s best point guards ever, will be starting his 16th NBA season and his third with the Mavs (his second stint there). His scoring average dropped for the first time in his career below the 10 ppg mark, and despite him playing at least 80 games in each of the last four seasons, his numbers are dropping and there’s not much more juice to squeeze out of this lemon (Kidd and the Mavs.

Number 8 – Michael Finley, San Antonio Spurs, 36

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Born on March 6, 1973, in Melrose Park, Illinois, Finley will begin his 15th NBA season and his fifth with the San Antonio Spurs in 2009-2010. He’s been scoring way below his career average since he’s moved  to San Antonio, averaging 9.7 ppg last season but he’s still hitting them from the outside (41.1% last season) and is a very important role player for the Spurs’ (maybe final with this core group) title challenge this season.

Number 7 – Juwan Howard, Portland Trail Blazers, 36

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Born on February 7th, 1973, in Chicago, Illinois, Howard is still mostly known for his part of the “Fab-Five” back in the 90’s in the University of Michigan. Howard will be starting his 16th NBA season this year, this time with the Portland Trail Blazers, the 6th team he’s played for. Last two years he hasn’t played more than 50 games and probably won’t get more than 10 minutes a night playing for the Blazers.

Number 6 – Kevin Ollie, Oklahoma City Thunder, 36

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Born on December 27, 1972, in Dallas, Texas, Kevin Ollie will begin his 13th NBA season in 2009-2010, this time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, his 12th NBA team. Ollie has never been more than a bench player although last season did get to start 21 times as a TimberWolves player, scoring 4 ppg, his best since 2003-2004. He won’t give the Thunder much more, except for some experience in the locker room.

Number 5 – Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns, 37

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Born on October 5, 1972, in Dallas, Texas, Grant Hill will be starting his 16th NBA season and third with the Phoenix Suns in 2009-2010. Hill was en route to the hall of fame in the first six seasons of his career, but too many injuries sidelined him and limited him for most of the last decade. His last two seasons with the Suns have been reasonably good, and he even played 82 games last season, the first time in his career. Staying healthy and producing double-digit scoring will be good enough again this year, as he creeps slowly towards 40.

Number 4 – Kurt Thomas, Milwaukee Bucks, 37

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Another Dallas native, Kurt Thomas was born on October 4, 1972. This season will be his 15th, with the Bucks being his 7th stop in his career. Thomas managed to stay healthy for a full season in 2008-2009 with the Spurs, the first time he’s so much (79 games) since 2004-2005 as a Knicks player. 15-20 Minutes with 4-5 rebounds per game and solid paint defending will be good enough for him and the Bucks.

Number 3 – Shaquille O’Neal, Cleveland Cavaliers, 37

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Shaq was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. He’ll be starting his 18th season in 2009-2010 and his first with the Cavs, his fifth stop in his NBA career. He hasn’t scored over 20+ in his last three season, but did manage staying healthy for almost the entire season last year, playing 75 games for the Suns, the most for him since 1999-2000. If he can stay healthy for the Cavs this year, especially for the playoffs, as Shaq tends to do, he maybe the piece that finally falls in place for the Lebron James title quest.

Number 2 – Brent Barry, Houston Rockets, 37

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The most successful of the four “Barry Brothers” but not as good as his father, Rick Barry, Brent was born on December 31, 1971 in Hempstead, New York. Although winning two NBA titles with the Spurs (2005, 2007) as a important player off the bench, he’s still mostly remembered for his win in the 1996 Dunk Contest, with the jump from the foul line. He’ll be starting his 15 NBA season in 2009-2010, his second with the Houston Rockets.

Number 1 – Lindsey Hunter, Chicago Bulls, 38

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The oldest player in the NBA today, Lindsey Hunter, born December 3, 1970, in Utica, Mississippi, will begin his 17th season in the league in 2009-2010 and his second with the Bulls. Hunter doesn’t get to play much – injuries and ability issues, but when he does play, which is around 9 minutes a night, he still gives great defense, no matter who he faces. Theoretically, can reach 1000 regular season games this year, but he hasn’t played 76 games since 2004-2005, and it’s hard to imagine it’ll happen this year.

Number 5 – Steve Nash, 1996 – still active

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The Phoenix Suns point guard, the best Canadian basketball player ever has been with us since 1996. Being a star at Santa Clara University didn’t Steve Nash an immediate starter both with Phoenix who drafted him at 15th overall in the 1996 draft, one of the best and deepest draft classes in history (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Ray Allen as the prime examples). He was traded to Dallas and in his third season there suddenly became one of the best point guards in the league, improving with the rising Dallas Mavericks under Don Nelson. Nash pretty soon reached all star status but wasn’t re signed with the Mavericks as their Owner, Mark Cuban, felt it wasn’t safe giving him a long term contract.

Nash returned to Phoenix, getting a 63 million for six years deal with the Suns and jumped even another level, becoming the best point guard in the league for a few years, winning two MVP’s (2005, 2006) and reaching the Western Conference final twice. Maybe his greatest achievement was in 2005-2006, winning his second MVP, averaging 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game, but more impressively, helping seven of his teammates to post career highs in scoring.

Nash is one of nine players in the league’s history to win back to back MVP’s, second best all time in free throw shooting (90%), fifth best in three point shooting (43.2%) and ninth on the all time total assists list.

Number 4 – Gary Payton, 1990 – 2007

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The Glove, the second pick in the 1990 NBA draft out of Oregon State will always be remembered as probably the best defending point guard ever, and one of the best point guards of all time. It took him two-three years to really breakout, but in his fourth season Payton became an all star and for the next ten years was one of the best players in the league.

Payton won the defensive player of the year award in 1996, and was on the NBA’s first defensive team for a record nine consecutive seasons (1994-2002). He led the Seattle Supersonics along with Shawn Kemp to the NBA finals in 1996, but lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games, despite Payton doing a fantastic job on Michael Jordan, limiting him to Jordan’s lowest ever scoring average in a finals series (27.3).

Payton won the title with Miami Heat in 2006 but more as a complementary player. He is the only point guard to win the defensive player of the year award in the leagues history, 21st on the all time scoring list, 7th in total assists and 3rd in total steals.

Number 3 – Allen Iverson, 1996 – still active

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Allen Iverson is hard to define by position, but behind all the shooting and scoring and scoring titles, Iverson is a point guard who just shoots first and passes later. Iverson has won the 2001 MVP award and led the league in scoring four times, and still has a career average of 6.2 assists per game while scoring 27.1 points per game in his career, fifth best all time. He actually isn’t signed with any team yet, entertaining offers from the Clippers and even Greek team Olympiakos among others, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has been one of the best players and most exiting players in the league since he joined in 1996.

He reached the finals with Philadelphia 76ers in 2001 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. He has played also with Denver and Detroit but is still waiting for another shot at the league title. It seems though that teams aren’t keen on giving him another shot, or at least a shot for the money and playing time he’s asking for.

Number 2 – Jason Kidd, 1994 – still active

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Like Steve Nash, Kidd is currently playing with the team that drafted him after grazing in foreign fields for a decade. Jason Kidd was the number two pick in the 1994 draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd was co-rookie of the year award winner along with Grant Hill and in the last 15 years established himself as one of the greatest passers in the games history. Despite his scoring numbers dropping in recent years and especially in the last two seasons since returning to Texas, and never being a shoot first type of player Kidd has a career average of almost 14 points per game to go with his 9.2 assists per game average.

He hasn’t won a league title, reaching the finals twice with the New Jersey Nets (2002-2003), losing once to the Lakers and once to the San Antonio Spurs but has been consistently one of the best players in the league, with five All-NBA first team selections and four all defensive first team selections. He led the league in assists per game five times in his career and is ranked third all time in total assists and sixth in assists per game average. He is also 7th all time in total steals and maybe the most impressive out of all those is being third all time in career triple double games (103).

Number 1 – John Stockton, 1984 – 2003

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Don’t let the nonathletic frame, short shorts and good boy look fool you. Stockton was a fierce competitor, a fantastic defender and although not a flamboyant player but did his job better than anyone else in the last twenty years. He doesn’t have a title and an MVP award but he did everything he could to make Karl Malone a two time MVP and bring the Jazz as close as possible to a title, twice.Too bad there’s a Michael Jordan in life.

Stockton missed only 22 games in his 19 year career, missing only four in his first 13 seasons. He is the all time leader in total assists and steals by a huge margin, and it’s very unlikely to be reached by anyone anytime soon. Stockton is also part of the NBA’s 50th anniversary All-Time team, but there’s no doubt that his 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals in his career are his most impressive individual achievement.

Ray Allen, Boston Celtics

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I think Ray was a HOF lock without the title in 2008, but him being part of the trio that won the NBA title in 2008 with the Boston Celtics hushed any doubters he might of had. Allen was an All-American at UCONN, played 6.5 season with the Bucks, 4.5 with the Seattle SuperSonics and has played the last two with the Boston Celtics. He’s a nine time All-Star and has averaged 20.9 points per game in the regular season and 20.5 in the playoffs. He’s also just below 40% from three point land and just below 90% in his career from the line.

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

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It took Garnett 13 years to reach the promised land, to win a title he deserved after being stuck in Minnesota for so long, he needed that trade that sent him to Boston and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce around him to win that 2008 title and cement his place in history. Garnett is averaging 20.2 points per game in his career in the regular season and 21.6 in the playoffs. He’s also averaged 11.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. He’s a 12 time All-Star and won the MVP in 2004.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

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Pierce, like Allen, needed the 2008 historic Boston Celtics Championship to cement his place in history. Suddenly, everybody understood how great he was on a crappy team before Garnett and Allen arrived. Pierce has played his entire career with the Boston Celtics, averaging 22.9 points per game in the regular season and 22.2 in the playoffs. He’s also a 36% career three point shooter and has been to 7 all star games.

Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets

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It took Billups some time to really find his place as a dominant starter in the league, but ever since his move to the Detroit Pistons in 2002 he has become one of the best point guards in the league and also won the title with the Pistons in 2004. He reached the Finals again a year later but lost with his team to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. Billups is averaging 15.1 points in the regular season and 17.7 in the playoffs. He’s also a 38.8% three point shooter and just below 90% from the line in his career.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

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Kobe Bryant is one of those who could just let his career stats do the talking, but he’s also got tons of achievements to go with them. He’s a four time NBA Champion and six time finalist, one time MVP (2008) and finals MVP (2009), a two time scoring champion and an 11 time all star. He’s averaging 25.1 points in the regular season and 25 in the playoffs.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

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Tim Duncan is another no brainer, and he maybe the greatest Power Forward to play the game, yes greater than Barkley and Karl Malone. He was great from the first moment, and he didn’t go number one in the draft just because of slim pickings. Duncan is a four time NBA Champion, two time NBA MVP, three time Finals MVP, an 11 time all star and averages 21.4 points and 11.4 rebounds in the regular season in his career. His Playoff numbers are even better, with 23.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.

Allen Iverson, Free Agent

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From the looks of things, Iverson may very well retire without an NBA title. He’ll make the hall of fame anyways despite this last season leaving a bad impression, it won’t damage his career body of work. Another no.1 draft pick, Iverson was rookie of the year (1997), MVP (2001), including reaching the finals that year with a very limited Philadelphia 76ers team. He is a 10 time all star and a four time scoring champion. His regular season scoring average is 27.1, fifth best all time. His Playoff average is 29.7 points per game.

Jason Kidd, Free Agent

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One of the greatest point guards and passers in the game’s history, Kidd is currently juggling offers from the Knicks and the Mavericks, and maybe other teams. Not a scoring threat like almost everyone else on this list, but his all around game more than made up for it in his career. No title in two NBA finals with the New Jersey Nets and a nine time all star, Kidd’s career averages are 13.8 points and 9.2 assists per game in the regular season and 15.2 points and 8.9 assists in the playoffs. His third all time in regular season triple-doubles with 103 and second in the playoffs with 11.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

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The only European on this list and probably the greatest European to play in the NBA. Nowitzki didn’t look very impressive as a rookie but has blossomed into one of the best in the league since. He has reached the finals once and lost, he won one MVP (2007), is an eight time all star and has career averages of 22.7 points and 8.6 rebounds, including 37.8% from three point. In the playoffs he’s averaging 25.5 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns

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Some would debate this, but Nash will probably end up in the hall of fame, and Mike D’antoni’s run&gun years in Phoenix are the main reason for that. They didn’t win a championship for the Suns and Nash, but they did make him a two time MVP and the Suns the most fun to watch team in the league. Nash is a six time all star and has averaged 14.4 points and 8 assists in his career, while shooting 43.2% from three and 90% from the line. In the playoffs he’s averaging 17.3 points and 8.7 assists.

Shaquille O’neal, Cleveland Cavaliers

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Shaquille has a knack of moving from East to West on each trade he’s involved in and the last one that sent him from Phoenix to Cleveland was no different. Shaq is one of the top three players of the last decade, along with Kobe and Tim Duncan. He has won 4 NBA titles, three with the Lakers and Kobe and one with the Miami Heat. He is a one time MVP and a three time Finals MVP, two time scoring champion and a 15 time all star. His career averages are 24.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in the regular season and 25.2 points and 12.1 rebounds in the playoffs.

No. 10 – Maurice Cheeks

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Although mostly known now as a coach, coaching the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers in between 2001-2008, Cheeks was one of the better Point Guards in the NBA during the 1980’s and maybe the best of them on defense.

Cheeks recorded 7392 assists in 1101 career games, averaging 6.7 assists per game in his career, good for 24th all time. He was fifth best all time when he retired. Cheeks spent 15 seasons in the NBA – his first 11 with the 76ers and later moved around between the Spurs, Knicks, Hawks and Nets. He won the NBA title with Philly in 1982-1983 and played in the All Star game four times, all as a Sixer. His #10 was retired by the 76ers.

No. 9 – Steve Nash

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Steve Nash is the first active player on this list, and there’s another one coming up. He completed his 13th NBA season this past year and is currently 9th on the all time assist leaders list. He has 7505 in 934 games, averaging 8 per game. He led the league in assists for three straight seasons between 2004-2007, his first three season in Phoenix. He is 10th all time in Assist Per Game average.

Nash spent his first two seasons in the league at Phoenix before moving to Dallas. In Dallas he became a starter, and after six seasons with the Mavs and not getting re-signed moved back to the Suns, this time as one of the best Point Guards in the league.He won the league MVP in his first two years with the Suns and although has shown signs of age and fatigue this past year is still one of the better PG’s in the league and maybe still the best passer. He has averaged over 10 assists per game four times, all with Phoenix, between 2004-2008. His best was 11.6 in 2006-2007. He has appeared six times in the All Star game and three times in the All NBA first team.

No. 8 – Rod Strickland

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It’s hard to tag a team to Rod Strickland as the Bronx born player has moved around quite a lot in his 17 year career, playing from 1988-2005. Strickland is one of those “would’ve been much greater” types, playing like the best point guard in the league at times and like one of the most exciting players in the league at his prime while sometimes he looked like someone way over his head.

Strickland is 8th in the All time assist list with 7987 in 1094 games, averaging 7.3 assists per game in his career which is 19th best all time. He led the league in Assists one time, during the 1997-1998 season as a Washington Wizards player, averaging 10.5 assists per game. He averaged over 9 assists per game three more times but that was his only double-double season.

Strickland played for nine teams during his NBA career with Portland and Washington being the two teams he spent the most time with (4 and a bit seasons with each team).

No. 7 – Gary Payton

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Even though Gary Payton was much more than assists this is the all time assists leaders, so we’ll focus on that. Payton is one of the best defenders all time (nicknamed “the glove”) and one of the best point guards of all time, and he’s also 7th on the all time assist list. 8966 Assists in 1335 games, averaging 6.7 per game, with the numbers really dropping when Payton spent his last two seasons with the Miami Heat.

Gary Payton never led the league in assists but between 1994-2003 never averaged fewer than 7.1 per game, with his best coming in the 2001-2002 season, averaging 9 per game. He is the only player in the league’s history with over 20,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals in his career. He’s one of three players, Stockton and Kidd being the others to have 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals.

Gary Payton won one NBA title, with the Miami Heat in 2006, played in nine all star games, was All NBA first team twice and won defensive player of the year in 1996.

No. 6 – Isiah Thomas

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Forget about everything that happened with Thomas after he retired – The Toronto Raptors, the CBA, the Knicks debacle… I hope he finds himself and his place in basketball again now that he’s coaching FIU in the NCAA. The past decade tarnished a bit the memory of one of the greatest players in the NBA’s history, elected to the 50 greatest players in 1996 and number six on the all time assist list.

Thomas finished his 14 year career with 9061 assists, 9.3 assists per game. His average is fourth best all time. Thomas is considered by few to be the greatest passer in the history of the game, if you consider he had less to work with than let’s say, Magic, who’s widely considered the best passer ever. Thomas led the league in assists only once, in the 1984-1985 season, averaging 13.9 assists per game. He topped the 10 assists per game mark four times, all between 1983-1987 and he also never averaged less than 6.9 assists per game, which also came in his retirement year.

Isiah won two NBA championship titles, back to back, in 1988-1990. He spent his entire career with the Detroit Pistons and was the leader and the best player during the “Bad Boys” years. Thomas played in 12 All star games, was in the first All NBA team three times only (blame Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson for that), a finals MVP once (1990) and was inducted into the NBA hall of fame in 2000.

No. 5 – Oscar Robertson

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This is the proof the Oscar Robertson being probably the most versatile player in the history of the game, as he’s also 9th on the all time scorers list. Robertson is 5th on the all time assist leaders list with 9887 assists, an average of 9.5 assists per game, the third best all time.

Robertson played 14 years in the league, 10 win Cincinnati and four with Milwaukee, leading the league in assists six times. He averaged more than 10 assists five times and over 11 four times, with 11.5 assists per game his best (1964-1965). All his great numbers came while he was averaging over 30 points per game in those years, including the famous triple double average season (1961-1962).

Oscar won one NBA title in 1971 with the Bucks. He won one MVP in 1964, took part in 12 All star games and was selected to the All NBA first team nine times. He was also elected to the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996.

No. 4 – Earvin Magic Johnson

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He’s fourth on the all time assist list, but he was the best at it, 95% of NBA fans will tell you that. The greatest point guard and until Michael Jordan came along, was probably the greatest player of all times.

Magic Johnson played in the league for 12 seasons until discovering he was an HIV carrier. He retired from the league but returned for 32 games in 1996, still performing in a high level.

Magic is fourth on the all time assist leaders list with 10,141 assists, the first man ever to reach that milestone. His average, 11.2 assists per game, is the highest ever and probably won’t be beaten in a long time. He led the league in assists four times and between 1982-1991 never averaged less than 10.5 assists per game in a season, with his best coming in the 1983-1984 season with 13.1. He averaged over 12 assists per game six times, over 11 eight times and nine times over ten assists per game. Mind you, if there was no John Stockton/Karl Malone rising in the late 80’s, Magic would be assist king a few more times.His lowest average in one season, not including the 1996 stint, 7.3(!!!).The amazing thing about that number that it came in his rookie season, when he didn’t even play point guard for the Lakers.

Magic retired with 5 NBA titles, three NBA MVP’s, 3 finals MVP, 12 All star appearances, 9 times in the All NBA first team and of course part of the 50 greatest players of all time list.

No. 3 – Jason Kidd

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Number three on the all time assist leaders list and the leader among active players. Kidd was fifth in the beginning of the year but leaped over Magic and Oscar with 702 assists. He has 10,199 assists and will probably be number two all time very early next season. He’s averaging 9.2 assists per game so far in his career, which has spanned 1107 games over 15 seasons so far.

Jason Kidd led the league in assists five times, three with the Phoenix Suns and two with the New Jersey Nets. His best came in the 1998-1999 season, playing for the Phoenix Suns, averaging 10.8 assists per game. He averaged over 10 assists per game three times in his career, including in 2007-2008, the year he was traded from the Nets to the Dallas Mavericks, the team he started his NBA career with back in 1994.

Kidd has yet to win an NBA title (lost twice in the finals) or the MVP award, and probably won’t win both by the time he retires but who knows. He is a nine time All star and five time All NBA first team member.

N0. 2 – Mark Jackson

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The most surprising name on the list. When I looked and saw Jackson was second, I said “What the F…?” But then I remembered how good he was playing for the Pacers and for the Clippers and even for the Knicks, in his fist tenure there back when just started out in the league. Plus, Jackson rarely missed games and he did play for 17 seasons.

Jackson had 10,334 assists, with an average of 8 per game. That’s the lowest average out of the Top six on this list. Jackson led the league in assists one time, in a season he played for both Indiana and the Denver Nuggets back in 1996-1997, averaging 11.4 assists. Jackson had only one more 10+ assists per game season, back in 1988 when he was a rookie playing for the Knicks, averaging 10.6 assists per game.

Mark Jackson’s only other accolades in his career are his 1988 Rookie of the Year award and his all star appearance in 1989.

No. 1 – John Stockton

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It’s risky saying about a record it’ll never be broken cause you never know, but John Stockton’s 15,806 assists in his career is going to be very very very hard to break. The active players leader, Jason Kidd, is 5000 assists behind him, and he’s 36. Even if he keeps up dishing out 700 assists per season like he did last year, it’ll still take him almost seven seasons to pass Stockton. Very Unlikely.

John Stockton’s name is synonymous with Karl Malone, Utah Jazz and Assists. From the moment he got to be a full time starter for the Utah Jazz in the 1987-1988 season, Stockton took over the Assist King place. He led the league in assists for nine consecutive seasons, averaging 14.5 assists per game during the 1989-1990 season, his career best. He averaged 14+ twice, 13+ five times, 12+ eight times and 10+ ten times. His lowest number came in his rookie season, 5.1 per game but he only played 18 minutes per game that season.

Stockton maybe didn’t do it with flair and flashiness like Magic did, or even Jason Kidd and a few others, but he was more efficient, and just better than most of them. And he had Karl Malone. Well, they had each other, with Karl Malone finishing his career second on the all time scorers list, and Stockton first on the all time assist list, with 10.5 assists per game in his career. Stockton hardly missed games, playing 82 games in 16 of his 19 seasons.

He never won the NBA title (lost twice in the finals) and never won the MVP, but you can say that he has a lot to do with Malone winning the MVP twice. He played in 10 all star games and was an All NBA first team member twice, and also part of the 50 greatest players of all time list.

The Dallas Mavericks are a totally different team at home, and their 17-1 home record since the All-Star break is proof of that. That one loss though? It was to the Nuggets. The Game was tight all the way with no team leading by more than 6 points at any stage of it.

The Mavs had a 105-101 lead with 31 seconds left before Anthony scored a quick two. Nowitzki missed on the other end before the final play. Rick Carlisle instructed Anthony Wright to foul Anthony as the Mavs still had a foul to give. Wright seemed to foul him, but it didn’t seem that way to the refs who didn’t blow the whistle which enabled Carmelo to pull up and hit that winning tre pretty much uncontested.

In my eyes the refs blew that call, and Mark Cuban, Josh Howard and the rest of the Mavs were letting the refs know about it. The league released a statement shortly after that acknowledged the fact that the refs should have called a foul.

So Dallas are now 3-0 down despite Dirk Nowitzki’s 33 points and 16 rebounds. No team has ever made a comeback from 3-0 down to win a series. The Nuggets survived their horrible start to the game, missing 15 of their first 17 shots. Luckily for them Dallas didn’t do much better and couldn’t capitalize on that. Chauncey Billups finished with 32, Carmelo Anthony with 31.

First time Lebron James touched the ball last night, what did he do? Dunk it. He stated his intentions early on, and although the Hawks were able to hang with the Cavaliers for one half, thing started unraveling in the third quarter for the A-Town players, and crumbling completely in the fourth.

Mike Bibby and Josh Smith were pretty much all the Hawks had to give, and it was enough for about 24 minutes. Smith finished with 22 points and Bibby with 19 and 8 assists. But they had no help. Joe Johnson scored only 11 points in another disappointing playoff performance from the man who’s suppose to be leading this team. Horford and Maurice Evans combined for 10 points and they got 10 more from the bench. That was it. You can’t win on the road in the playoffs with that, you can’t beat Cleveland with that.

Has to step up if the Hawks don't want to be swept

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The Cavs put a complete lock down on defense during the 2nd half, especially in the fourth. Atlanta scored 11 points in that quarter. Lebron finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds, Mo Williams added 21 more and their bench scored 20 and that alone was enough to beat the Hawks. They forced 17 turnovers on Atlanta, 5 of them on Joe Johnson (did we mention he had a rough night) with Lebron James coming up with 4 steals. The Cavs out rebounded the Hawks 41-33 and generally just outplayed them on about every parameter of the game.

Atlanta can’t afford to look flat and play like they did on Tuesday. But the road games have been that way for them in the playoffs most of the time (1 road win in 15 games). And they are facing the MVP, who’s looking better and better every moment.

Dallas came to Denver with the intention of playing harder and rougher than in game 1. And they did, and they held on with the Nuggets for about 3 quarters. They just didn’t seem to have the legs and the man power to stay with the Nuggets during the fourth.

Nowitzki scored 35 and he got help from the 6th man, Jason Terry who added 21 but they alone couldn’t hold the fort. Denver had Antony with 25, Nene with 25, J.R Smith with 21 and Billups with 18. Jason Kidd was able to make only one field goal and finished with 6 points. Josh Howard started the game but played only 6 minutes, finishing with zero points. It just doesn’t seem the Mavs have enough to keep it close for 48 minutes. Maybe at home they’ll get some sort of boost, but right now it looks like a sweep is coming. Denver leave to Dallas with a 2-0 lead.

What to look for tonight?

Celtics host Magic, Magic lead the series 1-0. I think Orlando are gonna do it again.

Lakers host Rockets, Rockets lead the series 1-0. Go with the Lakers on this one. They’re too good to lose 2 straight at home.