11-22-2006, 11:53 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Tampa, Florida
Age: 25
Posts: 15,783
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Nash feels healthy, confident
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Quote:
"It's feeling pretty good now so, hopefully, it's behind us," Nash said after practice Wednesday in preparation for tonight's game against visiting New Orleans. "It's one of those things that can happen on a freaky couple of plays. Hopefully, it goes away, but I can't predict the future." advertisement
Nash, averaging 18.8 points and a league-leading 11.4 assists per game, found comfort from back spasms by sitting out two recent games. Watching his teammates play without him also brought him some peace of mind.
It took away the growing stereotype of "As goes Steve Nash, so go the Suns."
"I think as any of us go, we go," said Nash, who scored 19 points and hit a decisive, three-point shot in the final seconds Monday night to sink Golden State 113-110. " . . . And we're capable of winning without me in the lineup. I thought we had some great performances (against Philadelphia and Utah) without me in the lineup."
Coach Mike D'Antoni is keeping an eye on his star guard but didn't talk about curbing any of Nash's minutes. And as for those who may think the Suns rely too heavily on Nash, D'Antoni offered a blunt and honest answer.
"He's the two-time MVP and we can't get away from him. We're not going away from him," he said. " . . . He missed two games - we should have won both - but I'm pleased we can play well without him, too. . . . But we're going to be better with him on the floor, no doubt about it."
Getting defensive
The Suns' slow, 4-6 start can be partly attributed to porous defense and the fact Phoenix continues to allow too many one-sided runs by the opposition. The team also has coughed up leads of 19, 16, 15 and nine points (three times) in its six defeats.
"We can put a finger on it. We just haven't been able to cure it yet," said D'Antoni, whose club has won three of its past four. "We have some breakdowns, we're not all in tune, we're not rotating and we let guys drive by sometimes. It's not just one thing."
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Nash feels healthy, confident
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