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MVP Nash having best season yet
By Jerry Brown
East Valley Tribune
Dec. 5, 2006
Every Suns coach and player has his own private, favorite Steve Nash moment. For James Jones, it’s watching Nash leave two Dallas defenders flat-footed on a fast break last year while hitting Raja Bell in the deep corner with a wraparound, behind-the-back pass.
“It was probably a 40-foot pass and he hit Raja right in the numbers,” Jones said. “When you’re his teammate for more than a year, you think maybe you’ve seen everything in his book. But then he makes another shot or pass and you say, ‘Man, that’s a new one.’ ”
And 15 games into this season, the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP is, a few months shy of his 33rd birthday, proving he still has plenty to show everyone.
Leading the NBA in assists (10.8) by a comfortable margin, Nash is also tossing in a career high 20.5 points a game — giving him a chance to be the first 20-point, 10-assist man in the league since Golden State’s Tim Hardaway in 1992-93.
“I think it’s all the new ball,” said a smiling coach Mike D’Antoni, knowing his star hates the NBA’s new composite rock. “Secretly, he loves it.”
But it’s no secret that Nash is also playing nearly 37 minutes a game (36.8), up from last year (35) and two years ago (34.3) at a time when more rest time would seem prudent.
Nash endured a bout of back spasms that cost him two games in mid-November, but the Suns haven’t lost since he’s returned, logging 22.7 points and 10.7 assists and shooting 50 percent from 3-point range during the streak.
“My minutes have always bothered everyone else, but it’s never been a concern of mine,” said Nash, who matches up with Sacramento’s Mike Bibby tonight at the US Airways Center. “When it comes to injuries and wearing down, I don’t think fatigue was my undoing. The last two years, I felt good late into the playoffs.
“The problems I have, the injuries, could just as easily come about if I played 25 or 30 minutes a game. It’s not related. I’m very comfortable with my time right now.”
Both player and coach feel Nash’s minutes on the floor are less demanding this season. With Amaré Stoudemire back, the court has opened up and the pressure on Nash to create on every possession has eased. And Leandro Barbosa, also contributing career-high numbers, has been more effective sliding over to the point, giving Nash a break from his duties whether he sits or remains on the floor as a two-guard, bashing zone defenses by hitting 3-pointers.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that position. It’s fantastic,” Nash said. “Offensively, I sense a real comfort level; there’s very little hesitation on the floor. Leandro’s becoming a better and better player, which takes pressure off me. I think it’s working well.”
D’Antoni would still like to cut Nash’s minutes a bit but admits “I like winning games better. We got off to the slow start (1-5), and we needed what Steve gives us. When you’re searching a bit as a team, he’s the perfect leader.”
But while coach and player wave off the wear-and-tear worries, the Suns know they need their leader.
“We have a lot of interchangeable parts on this team, but he’s not one of them,” Jones said. “We have a lot of weapons, and we can still score without Steve, but we’re not the same team. The game is a lot harder on everyone.”
Kings vs. Suns
Radio: KTAR (620 AM, 92.3 FM)
Series history: The two teams split their four meetings last year, but Sacramento has won 15 of the last 24 meetings. The Suns have dominated in Phoenix, beating the Kings in 66 of 88 meetings, and had a string of 24 straight wins snapped in 1999.
Scouting report: Kings — Sacramento has dropped five of its first seven road games and is 1-3 in the second of back-to-back games. Heading into Monday’s home game with Orlando, guard Kevin Martin leads the team in scoring (22.9 points) with Ron Artest adding 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a night. Phoenix Shadow Mountain High School graduate Mike Bibby chips in 17.1 points and 5.9 assists and always savors the matchup with Steve Nash. John Salmons, who passed over Phoenix to sign a free agent deal with Sacramento over the summer, had 20 points on 10-for-17 shooting against San Antonio on Saturday.
Suns – Looking for their seventh straight win, the longest since winning 11 in a row last February. After a 1-2 start, they are now 7-2 at home. Leandro Barbosa is averaging a careerhigh 18.3 points and 4.9 assists, taking some of the playmaking load off of Nash.
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/tribune_061205.html
By Jerry Brown
East Valley Tribune
Dec. 5, 2006
Every Suns coach and player has his own private, favorite Steve Nash moment. For James Jones, it’s watching Nash leave two Dallas defenders flat-footed on a fast break last year while hitting Raja Bell in the deep corner with a wraparound, behind-the-back pass.
“It was probably a 40-foot pass and he hit Raja right in the numbers,” Jones said. “When you’re his teammate for more than a year, you think maybe you’ve seen everything in his book. But then he makes another shot or pass and you say, ‘Man, that’s a new one.’ ”
And 15 games into this season, the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP is, a few months shy of his 33rd birthday, proving he still has plenty to show everyone.
Leading the NBA in assists (10.8) by a comfortable margin, Nash is also tossing in a career high 20.5 points a game — giving him a chance to be the first 20-point, 10-assist man in the league since Golden State’s Tim Hardaway in 1992-93.
“I think it’s all the new ball,” said a smiling coach Mike D’Antoni, knowing his star hates the NBA’s new composite rock. “Secretly, he loves it.”
But it’s no secret that Nash is also playing nearly 37 minutes a game (36.8), up from last year (35) and two years ago (34.3) at a time when more rest time would seem prudent.
Nash endured a bout of back spasms that cost him two games in mid-November, but the Suns haven’t lost since he’s returned, logging 22.7 points and 10.7 assists and shooting 50 percent from 3-point range during the streak.
“My minutes have always bothered everyone else, but it’s never been a concern of mine,” said Nash, who matches up with Sacramento’s Mike Bibby tonight at the US Airways Center. “When it comes to injuries and wearing down, I don’t think fatigue was my undoing. The last two years, I felt good late into the playoffs.
“The problems I have, the injuries, could just as easily come about if I played 25 or 30 minutes a game. It’s not related. I’m very comfortable with my time right now.”
Both player and coach feel Nash’s minutes on the floor are less demanding this season. With Amaré Stoudemire back, the court has opened up and the pressure on Nash to create on every possession has eased. And Leandro Barbosa, also contributing career-high numbers, has been more effective sliding over to the point, giving Nash a break from his duties whether he sits or remains on the floor as a two-guard, bashing zone defenses by hitting 3-pointers.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that position. It’s fantastic,” Nash said. “Offensively, I sense a real comfort level; there’s very little hesitation on the floor. Leandro’s becoming a better and better player, which takes pressure off me. I think it’s working well.”
D’Antoni would still like to cut Nash’s minutes a bit but admits “I like winning games better. We got off to the slow start (1-5), and we needed what Steve gives us. When you’re searching a bit as a team, he’s the perfect leader.”
But while coach and player wave off the wear-and-tear worries, the Suns know they need their leader.
“We have a lot of interchangeable parts on this team, but he’s not one of them,” Jones said. “We have a lot of weapons, and we can still score without Steve, but we’re not the same team. The game is a lot harder on everyone.”
Kings vs. Suns
Radio: KTAR (620 AM, 92.3 FM)
Series history: The two teams split their four meetings last year, but Sacramento has won 15 of the last 24 meetings. The Suns have dominated in Phoenix, beating the Kings in 66 of 88 meetings, and had a string of 24 straight wins snapped in 1999.
Scouting report: Kings — Sacramento has dropped five of its first seven road games and is 1-3 in the second of back-to-back games. Heading into Monday’s home game with Orlando, guard Kevin Martin leads the team in scoring (22.9 points) with Ron Artest adding 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a night. Phoenix Shadow Mountain High School graduate Mike Bibby chips in 17.1 points and 5.9 assists and always savors the matchup with Steve Nash. John Salmons, who passed over Phoenix to sign a free agent deal with Sacramento over the summer, had 20 points on 10-for-17 shooting against San Antonio on Saturday.
Suns – Looking for their seventh straight win, the longest since winning 11 in a row last February. After a 1-2 start, they are now 7-2 at home. Leandro Barbosa is averaging a careerhigh 18.3 points and 4.9 assists, taking some of the playmaking load off of Nash.
http://www.nba.com/suns/news/tribune_061205.html
