Grant Hill and Nash want NBA championship to end the career on high
As you follow the history of NBA, you will notice that not all the great players and Hall of Famers in the league ended their career completely. Karl Malone, 2nd place in all-time leaders in point production and league’s Most Valuable Player two times; Charles Barkley, also a league MVP and one of the best undersized big men; Patrick Ewing, a great center from New York are some superstars who have not yet experienced a championship in the teams they played for. Role players like Robert Horry, Steve Kerr and Toni Kukoc have won multiple championships despite minimal action in the court. Why do superstars sacrifice their salary to be able to join a team which is more capable of bagging the crown? As the 2010 season nearly ends, a pair of veterans who play in Phoenix are still hoping that this year will be the time to achieve what they want, an NBA championship. A 37 year-old Grant Hill and a 36 year-old Steve Nash are still searching for their first finals appearance after being in the league for long time.
Hill was drafted by Detroit Pistons as the number 3 overall draft pick. Since the time he arrived, everyone predicted that he was the right man to be called the next Michael Jordan. High flying ability, a great one on one player and dangerous on the open court basketball, Hill’s popularity immediately build up. Even he has posted impressive numbers; his time with Detroit was full of difficulties. As a one- man wrecking crew, they always failed to build a title contending team. In 2007, he signed with the Suns and has been a big a factor in the team’s current success in the season.
Meanwhile, Nash a league MVP twice and was already known as one of the best point guards of all time is another player who is still hoping to bag a crown. He was picked originally by the Suns in 1996.This Canadian point guard started to emerge as great court general when he went to Dallas Mavericks in 1998. He helped the Mavericks to be a strong contender and developed his friendship with fellow International superstar Dirk Nowitzki of Germany. But his popularity with Dallas was not enough for Nash to stay with them. He went back to Phoenix and on his first year, immediately led the Suns to the one of the best single season improvement and a trip to Western Conference Finals. He bagged two straight MVP honors and in the following years, the Suns have always remained in the elite group. Unfortunately, they always end up short. This year’s post season, these older statesmen showed the league that they can still outplay the younger breeds. Both of them played heavily in two series they won. Hill served as a defensive specialist where he shut down Portland’s ace player Brandon Roy and San Antonio’s prime Manu Ginobili.
Nash and Hill’s hunger and will to win will definitely be a factor in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The series will now be played in the Suns’ home court so they will be more energized because of the crowd factor. The Suns is expected to be more competitive than what they have shown in the first two games of the series. They are capable of winning both Game 3 and 4 at home to tie the series. The Suns should be more aggressive in defending the Lakers’ onslaught if they want to give Nash and Hill a season that will be remembered for the rest of their lives.
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