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Behind The Scenes Look At The NBA's Best Player, Steve Nash
By Coach Randy Brown

Steve Nash has accomplished more in his NBA career than most players could ever dream of. After two phenomenal seasons as the league's MVP, Nash is making a run at his third straight award. He would join a microscopic list of players who have ever accomplished this feat. This elite group includes only Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird. What makes this Canadian hoopster tick? How does he crank out career-type games night after night? What does he know that the rest of the league doesn't?

Nash is leading his Phoenix Suns to a 44-14 (76%) mark this season, bested only by the Dallas Mavericks. Nightly he contributes 18.9 points, 11.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds to his fast breaking team. He is the engine that moves this Western Conference scoring machine.

So what is it about Steve Nash that makes him the best players in the NBA for the last 2 plus years? The following is a collection of thoughts, quotes, and opinions on what makes Steve Nash tick.

* Eye-hand coordination---Steve Nash has demonstrated amazing hand-eye coordination, agility and balance that allow him to make shots from nearly impossible angles. As a youngster, Nash was a talented soccer and hockey player and both his father and brother played professional soccer.
* Athletic---TV analyst Bill Walton calls Nash the most "unathletic player" in the NBA. I wonder how Nash, playing in the ultra-athletic NBA, can be named its best player being UNathletic? Personally, I loved Walton as a player, but maybe the wear and tear of 500 Grateful Dead concerts is taking its toll.
* Drive---Some athletes are driven by a life of poverty with the NBA representing their ticket to freedom. Nash's fierce determination seems to come from an entirely different place. Of course, exactly what motivates him remains a mystery, even to his family. “How do you explain where drive comes from?” Nash’s brother Martin told Sports Illustrated. “You can’t.”
* Anticipation---Nash played high school ball at St. Michaels University School in Victoria, British Columbia. “He was always two steps, three steps ahead of what was happening on the court,” his high school coach says. Nash says, “I kind of just think it’s the way I am. It’s an ability to be aware of what’s going on around you, and I think some people are just aware more continuously than others. You’re kind of able to keep a running dialogue of what’s happening around you rather than it being fragmented and segmental.”
* Ball Handling---What makes Nash’s ball-handling skills so lethal is a combination of traits that range from talent to an unparalleled work ethic. His vision and his relationship with teammates also play a role.
* Early athletic experience---“I’ve always thought soccer was a good explanation of who he is as a basketball players,’ said brother, Martin, 29, a professional soccer player in Canada. “Soccer is not a sport where you can be an individual. The role he played in soccer, playmaker, basically the point guard, is kind of the role he played in every sport, from rugby to lacrosse to hockey.”
* Vision---Nash has great vision on the court. Nash sees the court so well and his incredible decision making helps him determine whether to drive the lane or pass.
* Top Physical Condition---Nash is in the best shape of his career. He credits a program designed by Vancouver physiotherapist Rick Celebrini that is training tied to practical basketball moves. For more than a month last summer, the two met five of six times a week for five hours a day. “I can honestly say that in the 13 years I’ve been doing this, and that includes all the Olympic athletes I’ve trained, I’ve never met a person more committed to his sport than he is,” says Celebrini.
* Leadership---“I don’t mind at all taking responsibility for a loss, but I do mind not giving myself and my team and chance to win,” Nash said. “Sometimes you have to put yourself on the line. I feel much better at night if people are pointing a finger at me for not getting the job done than if I’m pointing the finger at me for not getting the job done than if I’m pointing the finger at myself because I didn’t try to step up. That’s the stuff that eats at you.”
* Playmaker---He is deceptively quick, resourceful, and great shooter, able to penetrate, a master playmaker, and a pinpoint passer.
* Unselfish---There are scorers, fellas, and there are passers. Steve Nash isn't just a scorer, fellas, he's a scorer and a passer, fellas!

With great interest I will watch the rest of the NBA season and playoffs. Racing for an NBA title will be Steve Nash's ultimate goal. Becoming the NBA's best player along the way for the third straight season would be miraculous on top of it all!