It is coming up on my favorite part of the year. The time of year when the NBA Playoffs begin. These last few weeks of the season have been very exciting, with teams still jostling for playoff position. The top 3 teams in the east, Bulls, Heat, and Celtics are only separated by three games. Personally I don't have an allegiance to one team, I've kind of grown up just enjoying any good basketball game. I was introduced to basketball at the age of 2 and have been hooked ever since. My favorite players have been Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire ever since their years together on the Phoenix Suns. It was a big let down for me when Amare left Phoenix this last summer for the glitz and glam of New York City, but I understand why he moved on and have to say it has been very exciting living in the same city one of your favorite players is playing for. After bringing Carmelo Anthony in late February, the city certainly has been buzzing for New York Knicks basketball for the first time since probably the 1994-1995 seasons when Jordan retired for baseball.
Last season the Phoenix Suns made a great run through the playoffs and made it very exciting for me to root for Nash and Stoudemire, but this year that excitement will be missing. Nash has been my favorite player to watch for almost a decade and I even based my own basketball game off of his. It will be sad for me to watch the playoffs this year without Nash present. The Suns have fallen out of the playoff picture and despite making it to Western Conference Finals last year, they have all ready been eliminated as a playoff team.
Nash isn't getting any younger, at 36 years old, he continues to defy his old age and still play at an incredible level, while still makes his teammates around him shine. Sure the Suns might be out of the playoffs, and not nearly be the team they were a year ago with Stoudemire, but Nash still managed to lead the league in assists this year for the fifth time in seven years. I still think of Nash as being the best offensive point guard in the game, the way he plays the game is unmatched by anyone else in the league, even the chris paul's of the league. The one bright point is that it seems the Suns are finally realizing that Nash probably will need to move on from his franchise player role in Phoenix and help a contender bring a championship home, only question is where will that be; New York, Miami, Dallas, we'll find out this summer.
john
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