Escape artist Nash breaks out of trap

Raja Bell looked down at the box score. A reporter wanted to know which player had the better game in Phoenix’s 113-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday.Was it Amaré Stoudemire with his 27 points and playoff career-high 21 rebounds? Or Steve Nash with his 23 assists, a personal best and one shy of an NBA playoff record. “Tough call,” Bell said. “I would say it was a draw.” A political answer, but a good one, too. It’s hard to know who to single out. The Suns’ superstars did everything at the Staples Center but sell popcorn and mop the floor. And while we’re handing out compliments, how about Shawn Marion, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a wearying 43 minutes of play and helped limit Kobe Bryant to just one field goal in the fourth quarter? The NBA’s All-Defensive team comes out today. If Marion’s not on it, a few voters need to turn in their ballots for good. As good as Marion was, and as physically dominating as Stoudemire was, it’s Nash who deserves the biggest round of applause today. Nash had, by his standards, a substandard performance in Game 3. The numbers didn’t look bad — 10 points, 13 assists — but he wasn’t able to solve the Lakers’ trapping defense, and the Suns scored just 58 points in the final three quarters. The trap was the most widely discussed topic in the 48 hours before Game 4. Had the Lakers found a way to slow down Nash and the Suns? How would Phoenix adjust? “Steve will figure it out,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. Sometimes, it’s that simple. The Lakers tried to set their trap in the first quarter Sunday, and Nash made them pay. Instead of stopping and allowing the double-team to engulf him, he simply dribbled around the Lakers’ big men, giving himself the space he needed to operate. An open court for Nash is like giving Picasso an empty canvas, and by the end of the first half Nash had 15 assists, tying an NBA playoff record. He had two more assists for the game than the entire Lakers team. “Steve was fantastic,” Bell said. “Like I said after the last game, if they’re going to play like that, we’re pretty confident having Steve make the decisions.” Nash may be the most unselfish point guard in the NBA — he’s content going scoreless if the Suns win — but he knows there are games when he has to take over. Sunday was one of them. “I felt like I had to be more aggressive,” Nash said. “I tried to put the onus on myself to make more plays.” Nash rendered the trap so ineffective that Lakers coach Phil Jackson rarely bothered to use it the final three quarters. He knew when he was beat. “You’re not going to fool Steve for long,” Suns assistant Marc Iavaroni said. D’Antoni took Nash out with 62 seconds remaining even though he needed just one assist to tie the record set by John Stockton and Magic Johnson, who was sitting courtside. Nash said he wasn’t aware he was that close. Nor did he seem to care. “It wasn’t meant to be, but that’s all right,” he said. “They deserve it. … They’re probably the two best point guards ever to play the game.” Modest words, but what else would you expect? Nash knows better than to get in a debate about the premier point guards in NBA history. It’s a trap.