Bloodied, beaten, and bewildered

Steve Nash is one of my favorite NBA players yet there are times when I wonder if he’s an mixed martial artist what with those injuries of his that are sustained during games. I don’t recall seeing anyone banged up as bad as Nash in the NBA. Make no mistake, he is a warrior and is as tough as they come. At the end of his career, Nash will considered as be one of the best ever. But I gotta wonder if all these injuries are good for the Phoenix Suns.

What am I getting into? Well, it could be nothing. But then again…

In Game 1 of the Western Conference second round playoffs of 2007, Phoenix point guard Steve Nash sustained a gash on his nose following a collision with San Antonio’s Tony Parker. The Spurs won 111-106.

But Phoenix won the next game 101-81.

In Game 4 of that same series, Nash was hip checked by the Spurs Robert Horry that precipitated a near brawl. Horry was ejected and the Suns won 104-98 to level the series at two-games apiece.

But San Antonio won the next game and the Game 6 clincher.

In Game 3 of the 2010 Western Conference finals against the LA Lakers, the Suns were fighting for their playoff lives and won 118-109. But Nash broke his nose following a collision with the Lakers’ Derek Fisher.

Am just wondering here, when the Suns win after a Nash “injury” does it mean that they will lose the next game? Is there a pattern here or is this nothing? We’re going to find out in Game 4.