Creating scoring opportunites is the essence of the point guard's job. Every team runs set offensive plays, but they don't always work. When a fast break opportunity presents itself, or when a set play is stymied, the game's best point guards are the ones most adept at making sure their team gets a high-percentage shot.

That is where Magic Johnson has no peer.

''I'm like our coach on the floor,'' Johnson said before a recent exhibition game. ''It takes a certain kind of person to be a point guard. You have to know the game and be a student of the game. You have to know where all your teammates are on the floor. You have to know how to get people their favorite shots, what kind of passes to throw certain guys, when to slow the game down, when to speed it up.

''People don't understand that it's a lot more than just handling the ball. It takes a lot of endurance. It's a strain on you mentally. When I was kid, I handled the ball all the time and I sort of naturally gravitated to playing guard. I love it, but it's tough. When I got hurt last year, Michael Cooper said to me, 'I never knew how tough your job was until I did it for 40 minutes.' Now he knows.''

Point guard has become a generic term for the backcourt player who handles the ball most often. But the roles of point guards vary from team to team. Players like Kevin Johnson and Magic Johnson, Stockton, Cheeks and Jackson generally start their team's offensive attack. But in Cleveland's offense, Price often gives up the ball, looking to free himself for jump shots by using picks set by his teammates. In Detroit, Thomas, Dumars and Vinny Johnson all switch between point guard and shooting guard during the course of a game. If Thomas or Johnson have the hot hand, Dumars moves to point guard and tries to feed them. If Dumars is scoring, one of his backcourt mates moves to point guard and feeds him passes.

Boston won three championships this decade without designating anyone as their point guard. Both Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge handled the ball, and instead of relying on one player to ignite their fast break, the Celtics used long passes to advance the ball quickly. The Celtics also have Larry Bird, the game's best passing forward. Bird can make any pass a point guard can make, and he has that uncanny ability of always knowing where his teammates are.

A great point guard, or a great passer like Bird, relates to his teammates the way a quarterback relates to his receivers in football, or the way a center relates to his linemates in hockey.

''When I moved to point guard, it was a great learning experience,'' Jordan said recently. ''It was mentally exhausting, but I'm happy with the way I met the challenge. It gave me a chance to display other parts of my game, to show I'm not a one-dimensional player.''