Often, Steve Nash is sainted for his two MVP seasons, but Shaquille O’Neal considers them to be “tainted.” After Miami’s loss in Dallas on Thursday, O’Neal was engaged in an MVP discussion as it related to the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki. O’Neal questioned how the media picks MVPs and said the award has been “tainted” the past two seasons. O’Neal was the runner-up for Nash’s first MVP in 2005.
Shaq has a point, there have been guys in the past that have put up similar numbers and results, and never got close to an MVP. HOWEVER, if you look at the Suns before and after Nash arrived, you can not argue against his value and importance to that team. With the exception of Kobe at the Lakers, there isn’t a player in the league whose form affects his entire team the way Nash does. Does this mean he deserved two back to back MVP’s? Perhaps not, but neither did Shaq in those two seasons. Wade was great, but he only really came alive in the play-offs. Kobe took the Lakers far last season, but then imploded when it mattered the most. So, I would ask to Shaq: if not Nash, then who should have gotten the last two MVP honors? The list will be very small, I tell you that.