PHOENIX - Steve Nash is a picture of cool as he stands in front of his locker answering the typical postgame questions on a Sunday afternoon.

Swig.

His hair is stylishly mussed and his casual attire looks like something straight off page 53 of a men's fashion magazine.

Swig.

Between answers, the reigning two-time MVP raises the Miller Lite can to his lips and takes a pull.

Swig.

"He started without me?" Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell says with a smile.

Bell had reason to be surprised. Rare is the moment when Nash does not share with his teammates.

Barring a meteor strike, Nash will lead the NBA in assists for the third season in a row. His streak of MVP trophies, though, is being seriously threatened.

In most other seasons, Nash would be in prime position to join Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as the only players in NBA history to win the MVP award three years in a row.

The Suns point guard is averaging 19.2 points, 11.6 assists and shooting 53.3 percent from the floor while serving as the floor leader for a team with a 50-15 record.

"Steve is such a unique player," said former Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, now an NBA analyst for ESPN. "Anybody who can make others so much better . . . you've got to look at him every year as MVP."

Nash, who will lead the Suns into Denver tonight, certainly will get a long look, but a familiar 7-foot obstacle is blocking the view. His former Dallas Mavericks teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, is having an equally impressive season for the team with the NBA's best record.

Because the MVP award tends to gravitate toward championship-caliber teams, Nowitzki is the current front-runner to take home the hardware for 2006-07. He is averaging 25.2 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Mavericks, who are 53-7 since losing their first four games this season.

If anyone is going to end his streak, Nash happily endorses his friend and former drinking buddy Nowitzki.

"He deserves it," Nash said simply.

As recently as six days ago, there was little debate about who was more deserving.

Behind Nowitzki, the Mavericks were riding a 17-game winning streak - it was their third streak of at least 12 wins this season - and held a comfortable lead on Phoenix for the best record in the West.

The races for MVP and Western Conference supremacy became considerably tighter this week when Nash scored 32 points and added 16 assists in Phoenix's double-overtime win at Dallas.

Nowitzki had 30 points and 16 rebounds but missed a critical free throw that would have iced the game in regulation, and he fell short on a final jumper in the second overtime.

"I'm fine with either one. They're both fantastic," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I think the league has a way of rewarding the person who hasn't gotten one, so Nowitzki's probably still the front-runner."

The edge likely will go to the player whose team finishes with a better record.

Sitting in his office 10 days before the Dallas showdown, Suns coach Mike D'Antoni agreed with the notion that Phoenix would have to catch the Mavericks for the top seed in the West for Nash to overtake Nowitzki.

"That would be my guess," D'Antoni said. "That's natural."

Catching the Mavericks in March and April is secondary to Nash. After losing in the Western Conference final each of the past two years, his main focus is trumping Nowitzki in June.

"I feel a great sense of pride and honor for the two (MVPs) that I've won, but I don't really think about a third," Nash said. "I'm hanging in there and trying to win a championship."

Just how long Nash can hang tough has been a longtime topic of discussion around the NBA.

There's a perception that the 33- year-old Canadian plays too many minutes and has little left in reserve come playoff time.

The theory perplexes D'Antoni, who points out that Nash's 35.6 minutes per game are comparable to Jason Kidd (36.8), Oscar Robertson (37.3) and John Stockton (35.5) at the same age.

"Somewhere, somehow, somebody put out there that (Nash) breaks down," D'Antoni said. "He never breaks down. In the last two playoffs he averages 40 minutes - and his stats (21.8 points, 10.7 assists) are off the charts."

As if the Mavericks-Suns rivalry needs additional material, D'Antoni suggested the knock on Nash originated in Dallas after the Mavs balked at giving Nash big bucks when he became a free agent in 2004.

Phoenix swooped in and signed Nash to a five-year, $65 million contract.

"What happened was Dallas didn't re-sign him because they thought they had to reduce his minutes," D'Antoni said. "I think they made a mistake."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson was among those who subscribed to the breakdown theory - until last spring, when Nash led the Suns back from a 3-2 series deficit to spoil Los Angeles' first- round upset bid.

"He has survived," Jackson said. "We thought we could wear him out during the playoffs. This year, he's just come back and repeated two successful seasons."

Because of his recent monopoly on the MVP trophy, it is easy to forget how much Nash struggled in his first four NBA seasons - first with Phoenix and then with Dallas.

He averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 assists from 1996-2000. His 891 total assists during that span were 30 more than he had during his first MVP season in 2004-05.

"I was there shooting with him at midnight after games when Nellie (Dallas coach Don Nelson) didn't play him or he didn't make a basket," said Van- deweghe, who worked closely with Nash and Nowitzki as director of player development for Dallas from 1999-2001.

"I know how hard it was for him and how much adversity he was facing. He had to work for it. It's a great thing for young people to remember."

Nash, born in South Africa but raised in Victoria, British Columbia, credits his tough-minded attitude in part to the hockey, rugby and soccer he played in his youth.

"I grew up playing all sports, and loved it," he said. "The big thing is, I love to play and I love to keep myself in great shape. I feel good."

That's good news for Phoenix fans, coaches and players; the Suns are 4-12 in 16 games without their point guard during the past three seasons.

Good luck getting Nash to trumpet his importance to Phoenix's fortunes.

"He's so humble and down to earth, it's kind of hard to think of him as anything other than a regular guy," Bell said. "You kind of forget he's that two- time MVP sometimes."

With a third MVP within reach, Nash would love to add an NBA title and enjoy a season-ending toast with his pal Bell.

Forget the Miller Lite. Bring on the champagne.Meet the MVP candidates

The Front- runner

• DIRK NOWITZKI Forward, Dallas Mavericks

Vital stats: 25.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 49.9 percent field-goal shooting.

Platform: Go with a winner. German-born import is the best player on the team with the league's best record.

Skeletons in closet: Leadership skills questioned by NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.

Odds to win: 2-to-1.

The Incumbent

• STEVE NASH Guard, Phoenix Suns

Vital stats: 19.2 points, 11.6 assists, 53.3 percent field-goal shooting.

Platform: Pass the rock, not the buck. Generous Canadian is NBA assists leader for third year in a row.

Skeletons in closet: Wandered into Dixie Chicks territory with anti-war statements in 2003.

Odds to win: 3-to-1 (matching Nash's assist-to-turnover ratio).

The Hibachi

• GILBERT ARENAS Guard, Washington Wizards

Vital stats: 28.8 points, 5.8 assists, 176 three-pointers.

Platform: Killer instinct, winning smile. Charismatic? Eccentric? Whatever the description, Agent Zero rarely disappoints his constituents.

Skeletons in closet: Turned into a bit of a sourpuss after being left off Team USA at World Championships.

Odds to win: 15-to-1.

The King

• LeBRON JAMES Forward, Cleveland Cavaliers

Vital stats: 27.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists.

Platform: A vote for the next generation. It's only a matter of time before James monopolizes the hardware.

Skeletons in closet: Shaky free-throw shooting (68.2 percent) and still struggling to develop a reputation for hitting the big shot.

Odds to win: 20-to-1.

The Sleeper

• KOBE BRYANT Guard, Los Angeles Lakers

Vital stats: 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists.

Platform: Image reform. At the expense of his scoring average, Bryant has made an effort to get teammates more involved.

Skeletons in closet: Still not a welcome visitor in Colorado.

Odds to win: 25-to-1.

British Columbia: Most Valuable Province

At the risk of sounding like a bad Seinfeld bit. . . . What's the deal with British Columbia? The people aren't British, and it's nowhere near Missouri. But the Western Canada province has a knack for producing MVPs. Reigning two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash is from Victoria, British Columbia, which is about 60 miles south of the Vancouver metro area - home to reigning American League MVP Justin Morneau; Avalanche forward Joe Sakic, the 2001 NHL Hart Trophy winner; and former Rockies outfielder Larry Walker, the 1997 National League MVP. "It's the clean, crisp, great-tasting mountain water," Walker quipped in an e-mail to Rocky Mountain News baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby. "It's especially significant in baseball and basketball because people don't think about Canada." A breakdown of British Columbia's Fab Four:

• JUSTIN MORNEAU

Age: 25.

Hometown: New Westminster, population about 60,000.

Team/position: Minnesota Twins/ first baseman.

Career status: Preparing for fifth major league season.

Awards: AL MVP, Silver Slugger 2006.

Title talk: Hit two homers in AL divisional playoff series, but Twins were swept in three games by Oakland.

• STEVE NASH

Age: 33.

Hometown: Victoria, population about 290,000.

Team/position: Phoenix Suns/ point guard.

Career status: Currently in 11th NBA season.

Awards: NBA MVP 2005, 2006; All-NBA first team 2005, 2006; five-time All-Star.

Title talk: Reached Western Conference finals three times, but still seeking an appearance in NBA Finals.

• JOE SAKIC

Age: 37.

Hometown: Burnaby, population about 200,000.

Team/position: Colorado Avalanche/center.

Career status: Currently in 18th NHL season.

Awards: Conn Smythe Trophy 1996; Hart Trophy 2001; Olympic MVP 2002; 13-time All-Star.

Title talk: Led the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001.

• LARRY WALKER

Age: 40.

Hometown: Maple Ridge, population about 71,000.

Position: Right field.

Career status: Retired in 2005 after 17 major league seasons.

Awards: NL MVP 1997; Gold Glove 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002; Silver Slugger 1992, 1997, 1999; five-time All-Star.

Title talk: Lone World Series appearance ended when the Cardinals were swept by the Boston Red Sox in 2004.

Suns at Nuggets

• When: 8 tonight.

• Where: Pepsi Center.

• TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

• Probable starting lineups:

Phoenix (50-15) Pos. Ht. Pts.

3 Boris Diaw F 6-8 9.8

31 Shawn Marion F 6-7 20.1

1 Amare Stoudemire C 6-11 17.9

29 Raja Bell G 6-5 14.2

13 Steve Nash G 6-3 19.2

Coach: Mike D'Antoni

Denver (32-31) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 29.8

31 Nene F 6-11 11.1

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 11.2

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 27.9

25 Steve Blake G 6-3 5.9

Coach: George Karl

• Injuries: Phoenix - None reported. Denver - Kenyon Martin (right knee surgery) is out.

• Notes: Phoenix has won eight of the past nine meetings and 28 of the past 38. . . . The Suns have won six of the past seven games. They are 9-5 in the second of back-to-back games. . . . Anthony recorded his first career triple-double in Denver's 113-108 loss to Phoenix on Feb. 5. . . . The Suns lost their first four road games this season but have won 24 of 28 since then. . . . Anthony needs one point to reach 1,400, the minimum number of points needed to qualify for the NBA scoring title. With 26 points, he also will move past the man who drafted him, former Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, on Denver's career scoring list. . . . Iverson scored 14 points in Denver's 113-86 win Thursday night against the Lakers, marking the first time since March 11, 2001, that his team won a game when he scored fewer than 15 points.

lopezaa@RockyMountainNews.com

Back to Top