Point guard
The point guard, also known as the "1", is the team's general and the best ball handler on the team. The point guard is a position equivalent to that of quarterback in American football. The point guard is essentially the team's captain, and his job is to increase team efficiency and to hand out assists. Some of the greatest point guards in the NBA throughout the last 10 years include Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. Other examples include Derek Fisher, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Devin Harris. Examples of players earlier in the league's history are Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy and Gail Goodrich. The point guard is typically the smallest player on his/her squad. At the NBA level, most point guards are 6 feet (1.83 m) to 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m). Notable exceptions include Earvin "Magic" Johnson of the Lakers, who is the NBA's tallest point guard ever to play the position, at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m), today the tallest player who occasionally plays point guard is Lebron James, at 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) but the tallest listed point guard today is Tracy McGrady, at 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m). The shortest ever, Muggsy Bogues, and the shortest today, Earl Boykins.
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| Power forward
Also known as the "4" position and abbreviated as "PF", the power forward plays a role similar to that of the center, down in the "post" or "low blocks". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. On offense, he can "post up", playing with his back to the basket, or set up for mid-range jump shots. On defense, he plays under the basket in a zone defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense. Typical NBA power forwards are 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) to 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) tall, though some power forwards, like the 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) Charles Barkley, have compensated for a lack of height with exceptional bulk and strength. The greatest power forwards of all time include Bob Pettit, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Dennis Rodman, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett. Popular All-Star power forwards today include the New York Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire, the Chicago Bulls' Carlos Boozer, the Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Randolph, the Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, Golden State Warriors' David Lee, Miami Heat's Chris Bosh, and the New Orleans Hornets' David West. It is very rare to find 3 point shooting power forwards but Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic of the Dallas Mavericks, Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Rashard Lewis of the Washington Wizards specialize in this area.
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