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MVP Nash to lead Suns against former team
Steve Nash won the NBA's most valuable player award as pilot of the rocket offense of the Phoenix Suns. His journey enters an intriguing new phase Monday night when he goes against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The mop-haired playmaker provides the best story line but might not be the player that Dallas has the hardest time containing. Amare Stoudemire is the favorite receiver of Nash's myriad passes, and the Mavericks are going to have a hard time matching up with the amazingly quick, powerful Suns' power forward-turned-center.
"Obviously he had a great year," Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse said of Nash. "In my personal opinion, I think Amare Stoudemire is the MVP of that team." Stoudemire, who averaged 26 points in the regular season, believes nobody on the Dallas roster can guard him one-on-one. "They might try to bring a double-team or a triple-team, similar to what Memphis did," Stoudemire said. "They don't want me to score 40 points or whatever." Of course, that opens up one of Phoenix's array of 3-point shooters. "It's either, or," Stoudemire said. Dallas will run with the Suns, at least up to a point. While Phoenix led the NBA in scoring at 110.4 points per game, the highest of any team in a decade, the Mavericks were third at 102.5. That doesn't mean Dallas wants a full-bore, 48-minute sprint, though. The Suns, after all, routinely get fast-break points after an opponent's made basket. "If we don't run back with this team, they'll embarrass you," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We can't have people thinking for 5 seconds, then moving after a made or missed shot, because they really move the ball up and down the court pretty fast." Nash had a minor distraction from game preparation Sunday, accepting the MVP trophy after edging Shaquille O'Neal by 34 points, the fourth-closest balloting since the media began determining the award winner in 1980-81. Nash invited all of his Phoenix Suns teammates up to the podium when he accepted the award. The gesture was befitting of a player who earned the trophy by getting everybody involved with an NBA-leading 11.5 assists, and making his team a 62-game winner — 33 more victories than the previous season. "I really just want to share this with my teammates," Nash said. "This has been an incredible year for me and for our team. For me to come to a new situation and be accepted the way I've been by these guys, and for us to be able to form the bond that we have, it's been special." At least a dozen representatives of Canadian newspapers and television stations converged on Phoenix for the remarkable story of the player who grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, to become an NBA MVP, not by some kind of awesome athletic ability, but by his pure basketball skills of passing, ball-handling and shooting. Phoenix made Nash its first-round draft pick, the No. 15 overall, in 1996. But the Suns already had two point guards — Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd. So after two years, Nash asked for a trade, and was sent to Dallas. For six years, he directed the Mavericks and blossomed into a star. But after last season, Nash became a free agent, and the Suns sent an entourage of team officials, coaches and owners in a private jet to persuade him to return to Phoenix. He did, agreeing to a five-year, $65 million contract, far more than Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was willing to pay. Nash left two of his closest friends, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, behind in Dallas. Since then, Nash has had a dizzying few months that included the 62-win season, the MVP award and the birth six months ago of twin daughters. He wasn't sure how he'd feel about playing Dallas, but now he's glad the matchup materialized. "Dirk and Mike are two of my best friends in the world," Nash said. "To play with them for six years, and now to face them in the playoffs — it's crazy that it happened so fast, but I think it's great." This is a vastly different Dallas team than in previous years, adding depth, scoring and, yes, some defense. Jason Terry scored 31 points in Dallas' Game 7 rout of Houston on Saturday night, and could take advantage of Nash defensively. After winning Game 7, the Mavericks had only Sunday to prepare for the Suns. Phoenix hasn't played since wrapping up a four-game sweep of Memphis on May 1. "We hope that we're ready to go full of energy and we hope they're a little tired," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said, "but they hope we're rusty and they hope they carry their emotions over."
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