Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesIve always been a Steve Nash hater. Let just get that out there. Ive always thought that he a wormy, saccharine Canadian;a player whose abilities on the court are blown out of proportion by hisstatistics on paper. He the highschool quarterback that scores the hot cheerleader, heads the San Francisco 49ers jersey
class council,gets straight A, and petitions for more soda machines on campus. He is the kid who does more community service than theamount required for graduation. I mean,who does that!? We get it, Steve.Youre nice. Youre a do-gooder,and youve won over the masses with your G-rated Disney pizazz. Just stop the act already.If you were to ask me, he didn deserve those MVPs. He got them because he was small, white, anddid everything right. He answeredquestions politely, and smiled for the camera. He visited hospitals and paintedhouses. But his play didn justify theaccolades, the fanfare, or the adoration.He has won nothing, accomplished nothing, proven nothing. I would have said he played us all for fools. And you know what? I would have been dead wrong. Because eventhough he playing against the LakersmyLakersI keep finding myself rootingfor Steven John Nash.***It kills me to say this, but Nash has revolutionized thegame of basketball. His effect cannot beseen in a single game (though I guarantee you, like last night Game 5thriller, he will make any game entertaining), nor can his effect on thebasketball culture be quantifiably measured.This is true within , , ,and all throughout the NBA-watching globe.Just ask around. This wormy, saccharine Canadian has Seattle Seahawks jersey
become anambassador. Our ambassador. And, thoughit has taken me a while to come around on this fact, it is a privilege to havethis class council president as our diplomat to the basketball-watchinglegions. His methods are highlysuccessful, tremendously watchable, and brilliant to behold. May the Coke machines abound.First, let me break down what Nash brings to the court. In this, his 13th season, when hisbody should be/has been breaking down for at least five years, he is enjoyingone of his finest seasons of all-time.(No small feat for a prior back-to-back MVP winner.) He averaged 16 points and 11 assists a gamethis year, 17.5 and 10 in the playoffs. Heled his team to the Western Conference Finals when no one had them out of thefirst round. He re-activated AmareStoudamire (not to mention the whole city of Phoenix), and in the biggest gameof the year he hit big shot after big shot even as his coach was puking on thesidelines. True story.And I realize it is a pity that we have never seen what hecan do in the Finals.True, he can beat players with his speed, providelock-down defense, elevate, or play for over 35 minutes a game. But he never really could in the first place,could he? When he is on the court, hehides his every shortcoming in a way that it only rarely becomes apparent. I mean, let be honest.Every single player in the NBA yes, even Earl Boikins could post upSteve Nash if they were alone in a gym together. But it doesn happen. Why?Because Steve sees the play coming, switches off, and never gives themthe opportunity. Steve maximizes his strengths at the offensive end to makeup for his defense. If he needs to getby his defender, he goes into a succession of stutter-steps and hesitations,dipping his shoulder only when heSt. Louis Rams jersey
has the man completely off-balance. If the defense switches, he lures the big menout to the 15-18 foot range, and either lofts a high shot over him (that hemakes with great regularity) or burns by him for an unorthodox - yet thoroughlypracticed - layup. For the opponent, it maddening. It like trying to share a sleeping bag withyour sister - it should be easy, but you just can get in the right position.On drives, Nash gets behind the hoop - much like a hockeyplayer and looks for cutters at angles the defense isn accustomed to. If the defenders stay at home on theirplayers, it makes for an easy and uncontested layup. But if they switch off, they have to turntheir back on Stoudamire or Grant Hill.And that never a smart idea. It brilliant basketball play, really. Like in fencing, he realizes that he is inpower when he has the ball in attack mode.He makes the choices, dictating every move that the defense makes, andcountering appropriately.Im beginning to realize Ive never seen a player like him.Steve Nash is proof that you don have to be able touch Tennessee Titans jersey
thetop of the backboard in order to play in this league. He embodies the natural evolution ofbasketball; the game where a keen eye and smart thinking can make up for a lackof athletic talent. Now, Ill root for the Lakers until Im purple and gold inthe face. But for basketball fans, SteveNash is our savior. He is the hope ofthe slow, ground-ridden masses. And that quite an accomplishment, isn it?This article is also featured onThe Second Coming NBA Blog
Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesIve always been a Steve Nash hater. Let just get that out there. Ive always thought that he a wormy, saccharine Canadian;a player whose abilities on the court are blown out of proportion by hisstatistics on paper. He the highschool quarterback that scores the hot cheerleader, heads the San Francisco 49ers jersey
class council,gets straight A, and petitions for more soda machines on campus. He is the kid who does more community service than theamount required for graduation. I mean,who does that!? We get it, Steve.Youre nice. Youre a do-gooder,and youve won over the masses with your G-rated Disney pizazz. Just stop the act already.If you were to ask me, he didn deserve those MVPs. He got them because he was small, white, anddid everything right. He answeredquestions politely, and smiled for the camera. He visited hospitals and paintedhouses. But his play didn justify theaccolades, the fanfare, or the adoration.He has won nothing, accomplished nothing, proven nothing. I would have said he played us all for fools. And you know what? I would have been dead wrong. Because eventhough he playing against the LakersmyLakersI keep finding myself rootingfor Steven John Nash.***It kills me to say this, but Nash has revolutionized thegame of basketball. His effect cannot beseen in a single game (though I guarantee you, like last night Game 5thriller, he will make any game entertaining), nor can his effect on thebasketball culture be quantifiably measured.This is true within , , ,and all throughout the NBA-watching globe.Just ask around. This wormy, saccharine Canadian has Seattle Seahawks jersey
become anambassador. Our ambassador. And, thoughit has taken me a while to come around on this fact, it is a privilege to havethis class council president as our diplomat to the basketball-watchinglegions. His methods are highlysuccessful, tremendously watchable, and brilliant to behold. May the Coke machines abound.First, let me break down what Nash brings to the court. In this, his 13th season, when hisbody should be/has been breaking down for at least five years, he is enjoyingone of his finest seasons of all-time.(No small feat for a prior back-to-back MVP winner.) He averaged 16 points and 11 assists a gamethis year, 17.5 and 10 in the playoffs. Heled his team to the Western Conference Finals when no one had them out of thefirst round. He re-activated AmareStoudamire (not to mention the whole city of Phoenix), and in the biggest gameof the year he hit big shot after big shot even as his coach was puking on thesidelines. True story.And I realize it is a pity that we have never seen what hecan do in the Finals.True, he can beat players with his speed, providelock-down defense, elevate, or play for over 35 minutes a game. But he never really could in the first place,could he? When he is on the court, hehides his every shortcoming in a way that it only rarely becomes apparent. I mean, let be honest.Every single player in the NBA yes, even Earl Boikins could post upSteve Nash if they were alone in a gym together. But it doesn happen. Why?Because Steve sees the play coming, switches off, and never gives themthe opportunity. Steve maximizes his strengths at the offensive end to makeup for his defense. If he needs to getby his defender, he goes into a succession of stutter-steps and hesitations,dipping his shoulder only when heSt. Louis Rams jersey
has the man completely off-balance. If the defense switches, he lures the big menout to the 15-18 foot range, and either lofts a high shot over him (that hemakes with great regularity) or burns by him for an unorthodox - yet thoroughlypracticed - layup. For the opponent, it maddening. It like trying to share a sleeping bag withyour sister - it should be easy, but you just can get in the right position.On drives, Nash gets behind the hoop - much like a hockeyplayer and looks for cutters at angles the defense isn accustomed to. If the defenders stay at home on theirplayers, it makes for an easy and uncontested layup. But if they switch off, they have to turntheir back on Stoudamire or Grant Hill.And that never a smart idea. It brilliant basketball play, really. Like in fencing, he realizes that he is inpower when he has the ball in attack mode.He makes the choices, dictating every move that the defense makes, andcountering appropriately.Im beginning to realize Ive never seen a player like him.Steve Nash is proof that you don have to be able touch Tennessee Titans jersey
thetop of the backboard in order to play in this league. He embodies the natural evolution ofbasketball; the game where a keen eye and smart thinking can make up for a lackof athletic talent. Now, Ill root for the Lakers until Im purple and gold inthe face. But for basketball fans, SteveNash is our savior. He is the hope ofthe slow, ground-ridden masses. And that quite an accomplishment, isn it?This article is also featured onThe Second Coming NBA Blog
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