Phoenix Suns point guard turned 38 years old on Tuesday. At an age when most players his size are retired, and at a position where the quickness associated with youth tends to be a prerequisite to success, Nash is still an offensive force. He controls possessions with precision and boundless creativity, sizing up possibilities on the fly and adjusting his plans accordingly. What he's doing right now is nearly unprecedented -- BDL's Fearless Leader thinks the only comparison is to John Stockton towards the end of his career.
To drive home the point, Nash decided to take Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks into his own hands. With five seconds left in the fourth quarter, Nash ran a pick-and-roll with Marcin Gortat to lose the defending Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and took the ball all the way to the hole for the game-winning lay-up. Milwaukee couldn't even get a shot off on the final possession, and so Nash gave himself one of the best birthday gifts possible. The basket capped off an 18-point, 11-assist night, but, more than that, it proved he's not going to slow down any time soon.
Unfortunately, the question for Nash isn't just how much longer he'll be an elite offensive talent, but whether he'll do it for a team with any relevance to the league as a whole. The Suns are on cusp of a serious rebuilding period, and Nash will be a free agent this summer. Will he opt to stay where he's comfortable or chase a ring? The answer could determine whether we discuss Nash often or just stick to pointing out when he does something cool on his birthday.
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