Steve Nash named MVP

[th3gh05t]

hmm. well, he cant play defense. and i would assume that if you put jason kidd or white chocolate on that team instead of nash, then they might get mvp, because these guys like to run and do some nasty passes.


shaq i believe is the mvp.

stupid fobe

[Amphatoast]

if miami and phoneix meet in the NBA Finals, we will see if shaq did get snubbed of the MVP award or not. You got to realize Wade is a good player too..

[GloveGuy]

if miami and phoneix meet in the NBA Finals, we will see if shaq did get snubbed of the MVP award or not. You got to realize Wade is a good player too..

Don't even try to say that Shaq had nearly as good of a supporting cast as Nash.

[Andrew]

There was also debate as to whether Nash was truly the MVP on the Suns. A player who isn't the most valuable guy on his team can't be the most valuable player in the entire league. That's not to say Nash wasn't the most valuable player on the Suns this season, but you can make a case for Marion and Stoudemire who play well at both ends and would succeed in the same system so long as they had an unselfish point guard.

[DipSetVC]

Although I'm ecstatic that Nash did win the MVP, I agree with what Andrew said, while discussing the issue with another boardmember, for the sake of argument let's call him fgrep15 . I noticed that the numbers of Amare, Marion, Johnson and Richardson weren't that much different as last year. But I don't think any unselfish point guard can lead the Suns such as Nash has, he does shoot over 50% from the field and averages nearly 12 assists. All NBA Player? Yes. MVP? Very debatable.

[Andrew]

True, I'm not giving Nash enough credit there. When I say unselfish point guard, I might as well say Jason Kidd. To say any unselfish point guard is to underrate Nash's abilities. I know the MVP isn't based upon what-ifs, but it usually takes into consideration the impact a player has upon his teammates as well as his own statistical contribution, and I think Nash's impact upon guys like Amare and Marion is a bit overrated.

That's where the swapping Nash with Kidd theory comes in. If it's the system that benefits the team and a player can be replaced with someone else who could just as good a job within that system and he doesn't have the greatest statistical contribution...is he really the most valuable player on his own team? Thus, is he really the most valuable player in the entire league?

The other factor is wins and losses of course. A player's value is often determined by how well his team can do with him and without him. The Suns lost a few games that Nash sat out, which is proof that he is certainly valuable to the team. But...consider the Suns' depth and the system they have in place. They're a team built for one thing: running.

Unlike a team such as the Spurs, they aren't that good at playing different styles of basketball. They have a high octane offense that works well with an experienced, talented point guard like Nash. In my view, it makes him an MVP "by default"; that is, while he is very valuable to the team and extremely important to its success, it's accentuated by the fact the team isn't equipped to make significant adjustments when he's unavailable or has to rest.

[Lenkbron]

You contradicted yourself. Saying you would rather look at the content, then focusing on the fact that I said "their location" coming from a person who seemingly doesn't believe in capital letters or correct punctuation, you're not really in a position to pick at what I've posted.

that´s exactly what i meant by saying "i hate this shit", discussions about senseless things...that makes me feel talking with a 12 year old boy...i don´t want to go on with this, it´s so stupid...

getting back to the content, i think the heat were on a good way with last years team and they would´ve improved again this year. maybe not as much as with shaq on the team, but i think it wouldn´t be fair to give him all the credit...

shaq made a winning team better and pushed them into a championship contender, but nash turned a losing team into a winning team and a championship contender

[Andrew]

The Suns also had injury woes, traded away a lot of their talent and fired their coach during December. Nash's addition is not the only factor behind their turnaround.

[Strike Freedom]

did suns make into playoffs last year?
Heat did, what bout Suns?

[Colin]

The Suns had the second worst record in the west last year. It was torture for me...

[Ataraxia]

The Suns had the second worst record in the west last year. It was torture for me...

But this seasons you can have a Suns avatar and signature again and not be ashamed eh.

Hmmm maybe they should let fans/players vote on who the MVP is, that way maybe Yao Ming will win it every year with the 1 billion votes he'll get from China and the 1 billion votes he'll get from koreans and chinese ppl around the world.

Nash winning MVP arguement seems to be determined on the basis if your a Nash/Suns fan or not, not a true mutual respect from outsiders like that of which Duncan or KG had.

Ppl say Iverson is the MVP but T-Mac put up 32-6-5 for the Magic and basically the only support he had was that of Mike Miller(got traded later) yet no one said(except a very very few)that he should be MVP.

[J@3]

His own teammates don't seem to want to give him much credit for it...

Nash honored, but says he would have voted for Shaq
By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer
May 7, 2005

PHOENIX (AP) -- The official announcement won't come until Sunday, but the word was out when the Phoenix Suns practiced Saturday: Steve Nash has won the NBA's most valuable player award.

The Suns' ever-energized point guard said the impending honor would be a recognition of the team's success and refreshing, unselfish style of play more than of his individual accomplishments.

``I definitely won this award because of my role on the team,'' Nash said. ``I didn't win this because I overpower people or I'm dominating people with physical ability, whether it's jumping ability or strength or height.''

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The addition of Nash was the main reason the Suns went from 29 victories in 2003-04 to a league-best 62 this season. The new-look, up-tempo team averaged 110 points per game, the most in the NBA in a decade. It is, Nash has often said, the way the game is supposed to be played.

``To be considered in this setting, and the way the team plays, is really a testament to the game of basketball,'' Nash said of the award. ``Our team couldn't come close to winning 60 games if we didn't share the ball.''

With Nash at the controls, the Suns used a turbocharged version of ``small ball'' to blow past opponents. All five starters -- Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson -- had 30-point games. The Suns shattered the NBA record for 3-pointers in a season. Nash led the way with a career-best and NBA-leading 11.5 assists per contest.

``It's really an unbelievable honor for him,'' coach Mike D'Antoni said, ``and the team should take a lot of pride in that. Amare, Shawn, Joe, Q, Jimmy (Jackson), all those guys have really helped him with the award, it's part them, part him.''

With Nash getting him the ball, Stoudemire's scoring average climbed by 5 1/2 points to 26 per game, and his field goal shooting from 48 to 56 percent.

``I think it's more like a team award,'' Stoudemire said, ``but Steve is the motor. He has the ball in his hands 80 percent of the time, and a guy like Steve, he gets everyone involved.''

Nowhere are Nash's accomplishments more celebrated than in his native Canada. He grew up Victoria, the distinctively British-flavored capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island and not exactly a basketball hotbed. After high school, Santa Clara was the only college to seriously recruit him.

Even Nash wonders how someone from that background could become an MVP in the NBA.

``I don't really know what to make of it,'' he said. ``I had one scholarship offer, and I didn't have any NBA players in my neighborhood. I don't even think I dreamed about this award. I don't know what to say. I just kept trying.''

The Suns return to playoff action Monday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. In some ways, the award is a distraction.

``I think that's another thing that's really preventing me from getting a good handle on what's happening here,'' Nash said, ``because I am totally concerned with Monday and our game, and pending awards and stuff like that, no matter how much of an honor it would be, is really in the way of what's most important.''

As one would expect from one accustomed to giving rather than receiving, Nash said he wouldn't have voted for himself.

``I would probably vote for Shaquille (O'Neal),'' he said. ``He's one of the greatest ever to play the game. I look up to him. He's a huge part of this game's history already. He's one of the very best personalities and players in the game's history.''

[Colin]

I had my Suns Marbury avatar for about a year and a half, and I didn;t have a sig because I didn't have photoshop. The first stuff I made in Photoshop was Suns stuff so to you.

I think Shaq was the MVP, because while he may give easy shots to players, so does Shaq by drawing the double team. Everybody here should realize that Shaq is the MVP. But people who suggest that Nash isn't at least a contender are like the people who posted essays about how Kobe and the Lakers were awful last year.

Haters shine when you're on top...

[J@3]

I think anyone who says Nash shouldn't be in contention is a bit stupid, but I'm not convinced he was the MVP of the league.

[Null17]

I think anyone who says Nash shouldn't be in contention is a bit stupid, but I'm not convinced he was the MVP of the league.

same here. Nash should be in the top 5 but I don' t think he should've won it

[Andrew]

I agree with that, he deserved to have his name in there. It will be interesting to see the voting when the official announcement is made.

[cyanide]

When a reporter announced the award to Shaq, Shaq yelled, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" jokingly, then congratulated Nash and Canada. He wasn't upset or anything, so that was very nice of Shaq to do.

[Amphatoast]

yeah i mean if Kobe won the MVP over shaq I bet their would be a complete different reaction..

[patrixxx73]

It's already offical! Steve Nash is the NBA 2005 MVP... you guys can argue as much as you wanted to... but it's too late! IT'S ALREADY OFFICIAL! And he deserves to win the award.

[Drex]

It was very close...but, WTF is P.J. Brown doing there??

[Bang]

Amare and Shawn Marion are all stars, Q-Rich and Joe Johnson are near all stars. As for Shaq he has Wade who is about as good as Amare (relatively) at most. Eddie Jones, Damon Jones and Udonis Haslem are players that would've been bench players. Tell me how Nash can be consider "Most Valuable"?

Oh, and one more thing...

I think we should have a recount! 34 ballots? Are you sure they're counting em right?

[Drex]

In Nash's favor...bangyounh, tell me, Shaq is an Allstar, Kobe is an Allstar, Payton is a former Allstar, but who made the Lakers play like contenders? Malone did. He wasn't the best player, but the most valuable for the team.
Now, let's take a look at the Mavs. Nowitzki (sp?), Finley, Stackhouse, Howard, Dampier. The best player is clearly Dirk, but who took the team in their back and helped them reach the 2nd round? Terry. That's right, the MVP doesn't mean the best player, it's the Most Valuable, and you knew the difference when Nash was in the court and when he wasn't.

After saying all that, I wish Shaq or Iverson got the MVP

[Boyk]

WTF??
my post is missing from today...........wtf

anyway, Drex, honestly u didnt mean that malone comment didya??
when he came back in the playoffs, he was awful, forced a bunch of crap passes and couldnt hit a shot, and how can a new player that come along be more valuable than the 2 players who had the team win 3 championships in a row?

but anyway, like i said in my post which has disappeared, Well done to Nash, bout time a point guard won it, better him than the baboon

and im still confused and why the hell PJ Brown got a vote!

[cyanide]

PJ Brown? I guess somebody just didn't give a crap.

[Jackal]

Congrats to Nash, he deserved it.

That being said, Shaq is still the true MVP in me eyes.

Nice article.