By Michael Grange
Like a lot of folks of a certain age, Steve Nash has been having trouble with his hip.
But a little rest in the dry desert heat can do wonders for a point guard of his vintage, apparently.
Nash proved that rumours of his playoff demise - stemming as much from his limpy outing in the Phoenix Suns' ouster of the injury depleted Portland Trail Blazers in the first round as from the Suns' second-round meeting with the San Antonio Spurs, the team that has eliminated Nash and the Suns in three of their last four postseason appearances - have been greatly exaggerated. With three days of rest between series, Nash looked like a floppy-haired pup as he bounded through the Spurs' defence to post 33 points and 10 assists in leading Phoenix to a 111-102 win and a 1-0 lead in their second-round series on Monday night, with Game 2 set for Wednesday night in Phoenix.
"I was fortunate to get some opportunities early to be aggressive and try to put some life into the building," Nash said. "You never know what the game is going to present."
The only thing basketball was supposed to be presenting Nash at this stage was a gold watch and an armchair.
Even his believers doubted Nash would be dictating the flow of a playoff game at age 36. In a league full of players badly overpaid based on what they might achieve, Nash has always been paid as if he had an expiration date.
