O, Canada!

I love Shaq. I hated him when they played against the Bulls and MJ (natch), but I have really come to respect his play and his refusal to ride the Kobe train. Shaq said they would not win a championship much less get into the playoffs and his prediction came true. So much so that Kobe has gone back to beg the best coach ever, Zen Master Phil Jackson, to come back pretty pretty please. Now, this post is not about Shaq, or Kobe or my man Phil. It is to give some love to fellow canuck, shaggy haired point guard, Steve Nash.

Steve Nash used to be employed by the Dallas Mavericks, but for this season, Mark Cuban had to be "fiscally responsible" and amicably told Steve to seek his fortunes elsewhere if he could not accept what Mark could offer. No problem as Phoenix was tired of having no direction and getting their ass bust so they paid Steve what he wanted (which is what he was worth, at least).

Phoenix was 29-53 last year and needed some serious help. First, they had to get some direction and they immediately got better when they acquired Steve. They added a few more parts to the puzzle and this year they went 62-20, owned the best record in the league and have now since advanced to the second round with a 4-0 drubbing of the Memphis Grizzlies.

I won't bore you with endless data (especially since I do not want to bother looking it all up right now). What I will say is that when Steve is not playing, heck when he is not on shift, the Suns are a totally different team. He is one of only THREE players in NBA history to average 15 points and 11 assists per game for the season. Who are the other two players? I believe it was guys named Magic Johnson and John Stockton (though I cannot find it right now).

Contrary to a lot of fluffy crap I have read recently, I truly believe that Steve Nash's impact has been greater and meant more to the fortunes of the Suns than Shaq's has to the Miami Heat's. I will surprised and disappointed if it turns out otherwise.

Ciao.

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