It's time for the debate to end!
Okay. Now everybody take a step back from the NCAA bracket you are intensely looking at. You and I both know the winner of your office pool is Sheila, the girl who thought it would be fun to play and chose her picks on favorite colors and people she knew who went to certain schools.
Now members of the MVP voting press, step away from your ballots. Before you go ahead and crown Steve Nash MVP for the third consecutive year, let me throw a couple things at you to maybe sway your decision to another foreign-born hoopster who deserves the award.
Don't get me wrong, I think Steve Nash is an amazing player who deserved the award the past two years. Last season was exceptionally impressive. The Suns made it all the way to the NBA Finals with Nash leading as if he were the conductor of a symphony. Even this year, Nash has been able to incorporate Amare Stoudemire's game into the mix and lead Phoenix to the second best record in the West.
But do we really want to put Nash in the same air as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird? Those three are the only ones who won MVP awards three consecutive years.
I know, its apples and oranges, but if Nash wins, that idea will be there. 20 years from now, Nash will be in the same breath as those players, not for the championships he's won (zero at the current moment), but for being one of only four players to go back-to-back-to-back in MVP awards.
It's easy to give him the award this year. He deserves it, but not as much as Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki has done everything to lead the Dallas Mavericks to the best record in the league. Dallas started the year abysmal, losing their first four games. Since that time, Dallas is 53-7 as of this writing. Nowitzki this year is averaging 25, 10, and 4, and he's doing it with a lesser supporting cast.
Nash has STAT (Stoudemire) and the Matrix (Shawn Marion), and the NBA's top sixth man in Leandro Barbosa.
Nowitzki has Jason Terry and Josh Howard.
For a point guard to have two all-stars to get the rock to and also a point guard relieving you who could start for half the teams in the NBA, how can you not be producing the way Nash does?
Nowitzki has two legitimate players to fall back on if his game's not on point. So what has the eight-year player done this year?
He is setting career highs in four major categories: assists at 3.5 per game, field goal percentage at .505, three-point field goal percentage at .429, and free-throw percentage at .906. And he is doing this averaging the lowest minutes per game total (36.7) since his second-year in the league.
When you're more efficient than ever before, leading your team to the best record in the NBA, and have pundits wondering if you can reach 70 wins, you are doing something right.
And please, do not put Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Agent 0 (Gilbert Arenas), or any other players into the discussion. This is a two-horse race with the top players from the top teams in the NBA.
In the end, shouldn't the award go to the player who's doing more with less and is having a better statistical year?
I think so, and if you'll excuse me, the Winthrop game is about to start and this girl Sheila said they're going to win because her mom went there.
March 19, 2007
Taylor Mabry:
You can’t not choose Steve Nash because you don’t think that he is as good a Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russel. It should go to the person who most derserves it not to someone else just because you’re mad because he has done it twice in a row. Also if you want to talk about stats Steve Nash has alot more assist and almost as many points as the forward Dirk when Nash is only a point guard. It is not his job to score yet he scores plenty and has the highest freethrow percentage in NBA history.
March 19, 2007
Ann James:
Steve Nash is the MVP and should be standing beside Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain. I have never seen a player make so many players look so good in such a short time
March 19, 2007
smitty:
Those two all stars were made by Nash, they were there when He came and won 29 games! Dallas can win without Dirk! Suns can not win without Nash!
March 20, 2007
Farah Hannoun:
Nash deserves mvp more than nowitzki 4 a couple of reasons:
1) nash’s numbers: 19 ppg, 11.6 ast, 3.4 reb, 53% fg, 47% 3pt, 89% fts
2) nash is a point guard nd is more VALUABLE to his team, record 1-3 widout him, he returnz nd they win 10 of 11
3) Nash is clutch and makes the right decisions nd can dominate gamez by either passing or scoring
Nowitzki is a forward who doesnt even do his own job, just scores and his teamamtes r AMAZING as well as the best bench in the nba who pick up the slack wen he’s gt a bad nite. PLUS his numbers r really regular 25 ppg nd 9 rebz, sum playerz do that in their bad seasons…nt mvp seasons…all in all nowitzki is no mvp, nash is
March 20, 2007
Davey1:
Why is everyone so fired up at the thought of Steve Nash being in the same category as Bird and Chamberlin. I was a huge Bird (Celtics) fan, and I believe Nash deserves #3 and could very likely do it again next year!
March 21, 2007
Smitty 2:
If you watch very many Mavs games you will see that they usually make a scoring run when Dirk goes out of the game!! Josh Howard has carried them most of the time that I have watched and even Devin Harris!! Stackhouse comes in and does a great job, also other bench players take over when Dirk can not hit the side of a barn much less the basket!! Dirk for MVP??? NO WAY!!!
NASH deserves it !!! He is playing like an MVP again this year!!
April 4, 2007
srdd:
Very conviniently you forget to mention that Dirk has failed in crunch situation. Nash has stepped up when it mattered most and that too many times. That is why Dirk is good while Nash is great.