Steve Nash Makes His Finals Push

LOS ANGELES -- Is it not the ultimate in irony?

This side of Bill Russell and Magic Johnson, there might historically not be another NBA Most Valuable Player who epitomizes team play more than Steve Nash. But while Russell, with 11, and Johnson, with five, have rings strewn all over their homes, Nash has none.

In fact, the Phoenix point guard, who won MVPs in 2004-05 and 2005-06, never even has been to the NBA Finals. Of the 28 men who have won MVP awards, Nash is the only one in that category.

Five other MVP winners -- Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James -- have no championships on their resume. But all at least went to one Finals.

But not Nash, who has come up empty in three previous trips to the conference finals. But, at 36, Nash at least has one more chance to get there. His Suns open play Monday night at the Staples Center in Game 1 of the West final against the Lakers.



Share "What can I say?'' Nash said after Monday's shootaround about never having been on basketball's ultimate stage. "If it's because I'm not good enough or I haven't done everything I can do, I can completely take responsibility for that.

"But maybe we've been overachievers. Maybe we weren't ever quite good enough or never had the breaks to get to the Finals. I'm totally at peace with all the outcomes there.''

When it comes to bad breaks with Nash's teams in the playoffs, where to start? How about chronologically?

In 2003, his Dallas Mavericks lost 4-2 in the West final to the eventual champion San Antontio Spurs despite the Mavericks twice winning on the road. The outcome might not have been different had Mavs star Nowitzki not missed the final three games of the series because of a knee injury.

In 2005, Nash's Suns had the NBA's best record and had homecourt advantage in the West final against the eventual champion Spurs. Phoenix was doomed after losing the first two games at home when slick guard Joe Johnson was sidelined with an eye injury.

In 2006, the Suns lost 4-2 to the Mavericks. Phoenix played most of the season, including all the playoffs, without star forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who was out with a knee injury.

But the one that stung the most wasn't even a conference final. In the well-chronicled 2007 West semifinal, which the Suns lost 4-2 to once-again eventual champion San Antonio in a series that featured Stoudemire and Boris Diaw getting one-game suspensions for Game 5 after Spurs forward Robert Horry knocked Nash to the floor.

"Probably the one with the suspension,'' Nash said of the postseason loss that hurt the most. "That wasn't even a Western Conference finals. That was the one I felt like we had the best team, and the best chance.''

With the Suns the No. 3 seed in the West and the Lakers No. 1, this certainly isn't the best chance for Nash to finally get to the Finals. But it could be his last chance.

"You never know,'' Nash said. "This could be our last chance or we could play in the conference finals the next five years. So who knows? I just want to enjoy this one.''

You better believe his Suns teammates would enjoy seeing Nash finally play deep into June.

"We got to change that,'' forward Grant Hill said when asked about Nash never having been to the Finals. "Obviously, we'd like that for him. But it's not like this is, 'Win it for Steve.' I'd like to win it for Amar'e and win it for Steve as much as I want it for myself.

"Playing with Steve and knowing him the last three years, if he wins a championship or not, he's still a champion. He's secure with himself. He can live with whatever the resolution is. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, he's had a great career.''

The Suns don't have a single player who has appeared in the Finals, but there still are plenty of rings seen on the team bus. General manager Steve Kerr won five as a guard with Chicago and San Antonio, including beating Nash's Mavs in that 2003 West final, and assistant coach Bill Cartwright won three as Bulls center.

"I know for a fact that Steve is not concerned about his legacy,'' said Kerr, who said he didn't know Nash is the only MVP never to have been to a Finals. "He's all about the team and team's welfare. The only reason Steve wants to make the Finals is because it would be really fun and the team would live it. It would be a great experience. But he's not concerned about his legacy.''

Kerr knows a lot about that other guy named Steve. Minutes after Kerr said that, Nash was asked about his place in basketball history.

"Maybe I'm misguided,'' Nash said. "(Having to win a title is) just not really in my thought process. Neither is, what's the term used, legacy or greatness? I just feel happy that I got a great job. I love my teammates. I'm playing ball, and we've got a good opportunity to win a championship this year.''

That the Suns have a chance to do that this season is amazing enough. They missed the playoffs last season and were in jeopardy of that happening again before closing the season with a 28-7 run. They've continued their torrid play by going 8-2 in the postseason.

Nash has been overachieving plenty himself since having arrived in Phoenix as a free agent in the summer of 2004 at the age of 30. At the time, Nash was a two-time All-Star. But nobody figured he'd soon win two MVPs and become a certain Hall of Famer.

"Obviously, I'd love to win a championship,'' Nash said. "The fact that I won MVPs and haven't been to the Finals really doesn't mean anything to me. I can take responsibility if that's my fault or my shortcomings. But there's also, like I said, maybe we overachieved and maybe we weren't really a Finals team.''

If the Suns can overachieve one more time, then Nash really will be on a Finals team.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson