Shaky Ankles

Sports Illustratred arrived in the mail yesterday. In it, Dan Patrick interviews basketball hero Larry Bird, asking him several general questions one would love to ask a Hall of Fame icon. Bird could shoot from wherever he wanted in the front court and make the type of passes that had you convinced another set of eyes were creeping through his long blonde hair. The way he competed each play, it was like the sport of basketball was 24 hours away from being outlawed in this country; it’s what made him such an incredible legend. As the interview is winding down, Patrick asks Bird if he’s the best shooter in NBA history. Bird deflects the praise: “I don’t know about that. Steve Nash is a great shooter. There’s a lot of them.”

Steve Nash. So glorious in his unprecedented mid-30′s prime, crossing up a younger, more elite point guard and still giving it up to a teammate in the end.  Great shooter? Yes. Great (possibly still underrated) player? Even more so.