Gilbert Arenas (left) and Larry Hughes have helped the Wizards -- 25-57 last season -- to a 41-30 record this season. Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

For me, the end of the last century was all about guard play. From 1987-92 the MVP award was split between Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, two of the most exciting guards ever. Isiah Thomas ruled the Bad Boys. Mo Cheeks ran the Sixers with aplomb. And John Stockton came along and kept the short-shorts era going strong into the '90s.

Even today, I find myself drawn to the NBA backcourts. Whether it's a crossover dribble, a pull-up jumper or a little guy hitting a running floater over a 7-footer in the lane, good guard play gives me goosebumps. Maybe it's the Napoleon complex in me, but there's just something about seeing good guards "sticking it to the [big] man," to paraphrase Jack Black's character in School of Rock.

But one good guard does not a good backcourt make, so today's Starting Five is dedicated to the league's best backcourt duos.

Let me preface the list by explaining that one of the toughest decisions I faced was deciding whether or not to include the Jason Kidd-Vince Carter backcourt. Since Carter has been starting at small forward for most of the season, though, I decided in the end not to, but when Richard Jefferson returns and Carter moves to guard, this would definitely be one of the league's top five.

Gilbert Arenas/Larry Hughes, Wizards

Arenas and Hughes are the best guard tandem in the league -- hands down, if you believe Hughes.

"Gilbert and I are the best backcourt tandem in the league," Hughes said. "You can put us up against anybody, either in the East or the West, and I feel like we're the best."

I believe him. No team has been able to stop them this season. The only thing that has slowed them was a thumb injury that cost Hughes 20 games. In his absence, the Wizards went 9-11. With Hughes, the Wizards have a record of 32-20.

Arenas and Hughes are far and away the best scoring backcourt in the league, averaging almost 48 points combined. They're also the most aggressive defensively, with Hughes leading the league in steals per game (2.9) and Arenas coming in at fifth (1.86).

"Those two have really raised their games," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said after the pair combined for 53 points in a win last week over Portland. "They help their teammates get their opportunities and they know when to get their own. That's why they are good players and why we are a well-rounded team."

Steve Nash/Joe Johnson, Suns

The Suns have become title contenders and their backcourt has been the driving force. Sure, Amare Stoudemire is the powerful bruiser in the middle, but it's Nash and underappreciated off-guard Johnson that makes the Suns tick. Since Nash arrived, Phoenix has played a loosey-goosey style of ball that has translated into the league's best record (56-17) and a lot of new fans.

For Johnson, Nash's arrival has meant better looks. Like last season, Johnson is averaging 16.7 points, but his percentages have risen like, well, a phoenix. This season, he's second in the league in 3-point field-goal percentage, hitting 46.8 percent, a mark he can certainly attribute to Nash's penetrate-and-dish dimes.

Nash and Johnson aren't quite the scorers that some of these other guards are, but they've transformed a 29-53 team into this year's darling and one of the league's most exciting shows. For that they deserve credit.