NBA teams
J.A. Adande, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Nash's most memorable college game

Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks

The cold business side of the NBA is probably most responsible for the timing of Steve Nash's retirement announcement. I choose to think of basketball's poetic side.

Even though Nash knew before the season that his bad back wouldn't let him play professional ball anymore, he didn't make it official until after the NBA trade deadline, just in case the Lakers could find a trade partner to take his expiring contract. It turns out he bid his formal farewell at the same time of year that he first said hello to the basketball world: the NCAA tournament. In March 1993, Nash led a scraggly, No. 15 seed Santa Clara team past a 2-seed Arizona team loaded with NBA players such as Damon Stoudamire and Chris Mills in the opening round.

I covered that game for the Chicago Sun-Times and remember Nash as the driving force behind the victory, which is why it's surprising to look at the box score and see only one field goal and four assists on Nash's line. I remember his handling Arizona's pressure and getting the Broncos into their offense. Maybe he stood out because he seemed more like a basketball player than most of his teammates, who looked ready to grab a surfboard and head to the beach.

But nothing about that afternoon suggested he would be a two-time Most Valuable Player in the NBA. It turned out that game was far from his career highlight. It was only the beginning. He produced, by far, the best postscript of any tournament first-round upset star. Bryce Drew and Ali Farokmanesh pop up every year in the annual NCAA tournament "greatest hits" montage. Steve Nash will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Nash's career should serve as a lesson to upcoming momentary March heroes that this doesn't have to be the high point of their lives. It sure wasn't for Nash. Nor was he defined by the depth of his rookie season in Phoenix, when he was the third-string point guard behind Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd. He didn't even peak with his 2002 All-Star selection as a Dallas Maverick.

Preparation met opportunity in 2004, when he returned to Phoenix as a free agent, became the perfect conductor for Mike D'Antoni's offense on the Seven Seconds or Less Suns and guided them to the best record in the league. Over the next nine seasons, he led the league in assists six times and finished second twice and third once. He was in the top 10 of 3-point shooting percentage six times.

You can focus on the empty space in his trophy case and point out that he is the most decorated player who never reached the NBA Finals. Or you can say he's the most accomplished player who scored only 10 points in his most memorable college game.

It's March. This is when we remember the elation of the winning moments -- not the heartbreak of the losing side. With his choosing to leave now, that's how it should work for Nash.

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