Steve Nash loves basketball and the game, obviously, loves him.
"He doesn't play like a 35- year-old and if he has lost a step like some people say, he makes up for it with intelligence and tenacity," Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said on Sunday.
When Nash went out and dismantled the Raptors in a 113-94 win. Few pro athletes show such passion, leadership and commitment as the Victoria, B.C., native.
"It's obvious every time he steps on the court. He's playing better now than those two years he was the MVP in the league," Gentry said. "I wouldn't trade him for any guard in the league."
Nash had 16 assists and 20 points yesterday. The entire Raptors team had 15 assists.
When the Suns signed him to a two-year contract extension in the off-season, skeptics noted his age and said he couldn't continue to be effective in the Suns' up-tempo style.
"I love it when people write stuff like: 'Oh, I don't know about the extension?' Or, 'he's too old.' He's an unbelievable competitor. We make sure he reads those," said Gentry, chuckling. "You tell him he can't do something he'll go out of his way to prove you wrong."
Nash has helped turn a team that failed to make the playoffs last year into one with a franchise-best 14-3 start. They are back playing the up-tempo game that disappeared when Shaquille O'Neal arrived two years ago.
So, where will it all end? Wayne Gretzky, Canadian Hockey icon, once talked of finishing his career in Toronto. It is something Nash considered, but then Jose Calderon signed a deal in 2008 to be Toronto's point guard taking him through 2013.
"I thought about if that was a real possibility. It would be exciting if it was a real opportunity. It would've been exciting to weigh as an option against Phoenix," Nash said. "I love [Toronto], it's my own country. I have lots of friends here. There's a lot of reasons I'd love to play for the Raptors, at the same time I love Phoenix and the timing wasn't great."
