Follow up: Nash MVP

Some follow up points about Nash and how impressive his run has been.

In the preseason, the oddsmakers set the over/under on Phoenix's win total at 43.5, and that was with Kurt Thomas (who missed the second half of the season). The Suns started 42-17, before Nash injured his back and groin. The Lakers total was set at 41.5, while the Clippers were at 40.5. Some other notable expected wins: Cleveland - 49.5, Detroit 50.5, Denver 50.5, and the Rockets at 53.5.

The point is the preseason expectations for Nash and Kobe weren't that different, and in fact many people thought Nash would struggle without his pick-and-roll partner Stoudemire.

In November, 16 ESPN panelists predicted the MVP winner, and Kobe Bryant had two votes, LeBron James five, and Steve Nash none. Of over 47,000 votes in a "SportsNation" poll predicting the MVP, Nash finished 11th (2.1% of the vote) behind names like Shaq, Wade, Garnett, McGrady, Iverson, and Ron Artest. Kobe Bryant finished second.

It's easy to forget that no one expected any of this, even after last season.