'Fate' forges reunion of Nash, running buddies from Dallas

[MavsFanFinley]

'Fate' forges reunion of Nash, running buddies from Dallas
NBA's MVP leads Suns against Mavericks, old pals Nowitzki, Finley

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

PHOENIX – One came from Canada, one from Germany, the other from the inner city of Chicago. They could not have been more different. And yet, they had so much in common.

For six years in Dallas, they lived and laughed, hugged and cried, won and lost. And they did it all together.

Tonight, Steve Nash will be in that purple-and-orange tinged Phoenix Suns uniform. Two of his best buddies, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, will be visiting America West Arena in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals series.

Emotions will tug at all of them. These are friends who created great memories not only for fans, but also for themselves. Whether it was on the basketball court, enjoying the nightlife or merely hanging with one another doing what young people do, the Big Three personified the Dallas Mavericks for more than half a decade.

"It's fate, I guess," Mr. Nash said. "Dirk and Mike are two of my best friends in the world. So to play with them for six years and now to face them in the playoffs, it's crazy that it happened so fast. But I think it's exciting."

On Sunday, Mr. Nash became the first Canadian and only the sixth guard in NBA history to win the league's MVP award. That he did it in his first year since leaving the Mavericks in free agency is a bitter pill for North Texas fans.

But it has been a year of change for Mr. Nash, who led the Suns to the NBA's best record, 62-20. That was a big reason he earned the MVP award.

But the way he's handled changes in his life might be worthy of a more personal award, something along the lines of a most valuable person to his family. Nine months ago, Mr. Nash picked up his life and his longtime girlfriend, Alejandra Amarilla, and signed a $67 million contract with the Suns, a deal Mavericks owner Mark Cuban refused to match.

In the following months, changing teams would not be the only thing Mr. Nash did that he'd never done before.

Lots of changes

"I bought a proper home, which I never really had," he said. "And I had kids. I have children now, and I envision them growing up here now. So this is home.

"There have been a lot of changes."

The twins, Bella and Lola, are 61/2 months old now. Their arrival could not have been timed any better for Mr. Nash. A year ago, he was spending a lot of time with his friends in Dallas. Mostly it was Mr. Nowitzki, the big German who traveled and toddled with Mr. Nash, Mr. Finley – who was not as close to Mr. Nash as Mr. Nowitzki but was still a close confidant – and Al Whitley, the Mavericks equipment manager who grew up with Mr. Nash.

By moving to Phoenix, Mr. Nash no longer had a built-in posse. That meant less time spent cavorting and more time for his newly expanded family.

"It just seems like making all these changes at the same time has been the right way to do it," Mr. Nash said.

Long, strange trip

There most certainly has not been a more humble MVP in NBA history than Mr. Nash – outwardly, at least. Every NBA player has a strong will and an ego. But Mr. Nash is as down to earth as they come.

"It's rare, because most times you don't make it here unless you possess a healthy ego," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "And I'm sure Steve does. He just masks it better. He does a better job of hiding it."

An example came when he accepted the trophy for the MVP on Sunday. He was asked his reaction on having his name alongside those of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and all the other MVPs.

"Who doesn't belong, I guess," he said. "Those are my heroes."

Mr. Nash's whole life has been one long oddity. He grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, which, like the rest of Canada, has a blind love for hockey but only a one-man infatuation for basketball.

He received one college scholarship offer – from Santa Clara, not exactly a factory for NBA talent. He was the 15th overall draft pick by Phoenix in 1996. Two summers later, he was traded to Dallas for spare parts.

There were tough times early. The fans, already sour on a Mavericks organization that was mired in a decade of staggering ineptitude, unleashed their grief on Mr. Nash in the form of boos.

But along the way, something clicked. The Mavericks got better, the Big Three was born, and while they prospered on the court, they were even more successful in bonding as friends.

"We like to laugh and have a good time," Mr. Nash said of his buddies. "We had fun off the court. When you play for six years somewhere with basically the same core, it's tough to leave all that. It's too bad it couldn't continue. But it's over, and I think we're both doing great."

So tonight, they will start by hugging before the opening tip. There will be no peck on the cheek like close friends Mr. Johnson and Isiah Thomas did in their heyday. That's why Mr. Finley congratulated him on the MVP award before getting to Phoenix.

Business between lines

"As much as I like Steve and love him as a teammate and friend, it's business when you get in between the lines," Mr. Finley said. "So I didn't want to be too happy and jolly and hugging and kissing him before the game. Maybe between him and Dirk."

Mr. Nowitzki and Mr. Nash have done a lot together. But they won't do that. As far as Mr. Nowitzki is concerned, there's no kissing in the NBA. But maybe a hug before the game.

"Yeah, a manly hug," Mr. Nowitzki said.

After that, they will try to beat each other. There is something to that old expression that you never want to lose to your brother or your best friend. Mr. Nowitzki is like both to Mr. Nash.

"It'll test our friendship over the next two weeks," Mr. Nash said. "But it's just basketball. It's life or death when you're out there. But when you're finished, you try to get away from it."

Mr. Nash doesn't have the venom for the Mavericks' organization that many people might expect him to have. He was offered a once-in-a-lifetime contract by the Suns and took it only because Mr. Cuban wouldn't come close to matching it.

No hard feelings. And the way it's worked out for Mr. Nash – as well as the Mavericks – it's hard to argue that it wasn't the best move for everybody. The Mavericks moved on. And a team like Phoenix, which had so much room for improvement, is the only place where somebody like Mr. Nash could end up an MVP.