Steve Nash

TOMORROW WHEN THE PHOENIX SUNS PLAY IN SEATTLE...
THANKS FOR A BAD SHOULDER STEVE NASH WILL STILL BE OUT OF THE LINE UP...
THE INJURY WILL ALSO FORCE HIM TO MISS THE NBA ALL STAR GAME THIS IN SUNDAY IN LAS VEGAS...
ON THE SURFACE IT MIGHT APPEAR ALL THAT LOST TIME WILL HURT HIS CHANCES AT A THIRD STRAIGHT MVP...
AS IT TURNS OUT...JUST THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE...
WITH A HEALTHY NASH THE SUNS WERE FIGHTING WITH DALLAS FOR THE BEST RECORD IN THE ENTIRE NBA...
THEY WERE JUST ONE GAME BACK OF THE MAVERICKS...
BUT IN THE LAST WEEK WITHOUT HIM...THE SUNS HAVE LOST 2 OF THE LAST 3 INCLUDING AN EMBARASING 116-103 DEFEAT AT HOME TO THE CHICAGO BULLS...
THE VICTORY FOR THE BULLS WAS THE LAST OF A 7 GAME ROAD TRIP...
THIS WAS A TEAM THAT HAD LOST 3 IN A ROW AND WAS PLAYING FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 4 NIGHTS...
THE SAME CHICAGO BULLS TEAM THAT HAD NOT WON IN PHOENIX SINCE MICHEAL JORDAN PULLED IT OFF IN 1996...
TWO NIGHTS EARLIER ATLANTA BEAT THE SUNS BY 9...
THE HAWKS ARE 11TH IN THE EAST...HAVING LOST 31 OF THEIR FIRST 50 GAMES...
TOMORROW NIGHT THE SUNS WILL FACE SEATTLE...
THE SONICS ARE 14TH IN THE WEST...
IT SHOULD BE A LOCK FOR THE SUNS...BUT WITHOUT NASH...NOTHING IS GUARENTEED...
WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE VALUE STEVE NASH HAS TO THIS FRANCHISE...
THIS MAYBE THE MOST TELLING STAT OF ALL...
SINCE NASH RETURNED TO PHOENIX 3 YEARS AGO AS AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT HE HAS MISSED A GRAND TOTAL OF 14 GAMES...
THE SUNS RECORD IN THOSE GAMES....4-10...
THIS YEAR WITH NASH IN THE LINE UP THE SUNS ARE 38 AND 10...
ONCE AGAIN HE LEADS THE NBA IN ASSISTS TO GO ALONG WITH HIS 20 POINTS A GAME...
IF THE TRUE MEASURING STICK OF GREATNESS IS THE IMPACT THAT AN ATHLETE HAS ON HIS TEAMMATES...THEN NASH SHOULD ONCE AGAIN THE MVP...
BECAUSE WITHOUT HIM THE PHOENIX SUNS ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE...