Nash’s reign atop NBA coming to an end
Apr 12, 2011, 10:44 PM | Updated: 11:55 pm
Only one player has been at the top of the NBA for the last nine seasons and it’s not Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett or Vince Carter. No, that player is the Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash.
Nash hasn’t been a champion or a scoring leader but he has done something very unique. He has been at the helm of the NBA’s most efficient offense for the last nine years (his final three with Dallas and the last six in Phoenix).
According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, the entire run is more impressive than you might realize.
The run began in Nash’s second season as the full-time starter in Dallas. Nash has not only led the No. 1 offensive team each season, but he’s led the five best offenses of the last 20 years (when you compare the team’s efficiency with the league average).
Although his run as the leader of the NBA’s best offense comes to an end this season — the Suns are seventh entering the final game of the year — don’t blame him. His stats weren’t down significantly across the board. If you want to blame something blame his ‘pelvic instability’ that cost him numerous games. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to point out the fact that when he’s off the court the bench’s production has been down significantly from previous years.
Overall Nash’s run shouldn’t come as a surprise. Between playing with Dirk as a member of the Mavericks and with Amar’e with the Suns, he’s benefited from having explosive offensive talent who could score off his passes. What these statistics should serve as is a reminder of just how spoiled Suns fans have been over the last six seasons and just how far they could fall without the former MVP.
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