Was intrigued by the statement about Hollinger ranking Marbury above Nash...all I could find was this from 2005.
The bolded part is from the accompanying pic. Anyway, it makes it pretty f'in clear that he ranked Nash way higher at least at that point. Prior to returning to the Suns, I think I'd have taken Steph too TBH. Sure he was a cancer and a stat-padder, but he was dominant nonetheless.
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What do the two best offenses in NBA history have in common?
Here's a hint: He was born in South Africa, raised in Canada, has a $60 million contract, and a $5 haircut.
The man is Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns' point guard who has become an unlikely MVP candidate by energizing their offense and leading them to this year's best record. Nash could become only the second foreign-born player to win MVP honors, not to mention the first to do it while wearing a Neil Young wig (hey, it's a Canadian thing).
But many might not appreciate just how good the Suns' offense has been, and that this is nothing new for Nash. The Suns' 110.5 points-per-game scoring average towers over the league average of 97.2. But considering the Suns' frenetic pace -- led by Nash, of course -- we should expect his team to play high-scoring games because each team gets more possessions than usual.
One way to more precisely measure teams' offenses is with a statistic called Offensive Efficiency, which tracks how many points a team scores for each 100 possessions it uses.
Try as he might, Marbury (right) cannot wrest "best offensive point guard" honors from Nash.
The Suns are also No. 1 in this category, and their advantage is large. The Suns average 112.1 points per 100 possessions, easily outpacing the second-place Miami Heat's 108.3. Compared to the league average of 103.1, the Suns are well ahead of the curve, topping the average by 9.0 points. Since the average Suns game had nearly 100 possessions for each team (98.1 to be exact), that means their offense provides a mammoth advantage of nearly nine points every night compared to the output from an average team.
And that nine-point edge relative to the league is among the best in "modern" basketball history. Offensive Efficiency stats are only available dating to 1973-74, when the league started keeping track of turnovers. But in the 32 seasons since, only one team has put up a better Offensive Efficiency than this year's Suns.
Believe it or not, it was last year's Mavericks – led by Steve Nash.
That's right, the team Nash quarterbacked so successfully in Dallas was quite possibly the greatest offense in history. The Mavs averaged 110.1 points per 100 possessions a year ago, while the league average was 100.8. The Mavs' advantage of 9.3 points above the norm was even better than the 2004-05 Suns' mark of +9.0.
Nash's accomplishments don't end there. Check out the chart showing the other greatest offenses in history, and you'll notice two things.
First, the No. 6 team was Nash's Mavs of 2002-03, earning him three spots in the top six. Second, check out the difference between the past two seasons and every other team on the list. Nash's Mavs and Suns teams didn't just scrape by the previous record, they blasted it out of the water. No team had even been +7.5 relative to the league before two years ago, but Nash's teams averaged better than +9.
Top Offenses Since 1973-74
Team Year Off. Eff. NBA Avg. Difference
Dallas Mavericks 2003-04 110.1 100.8 9.3
Phoenix Suns 2004-05 112.1 103.1 9.0
Denver Nuggets 1981-82 111.7 104.2 7.5
Boston Celtics 1987-88 112.4 105.0 7.4
Chicago Bulls 1991-92 112.3 105.0 7.3
Dallas Mavericks 2002-03 108.7 101.4 7.3
While both of Nash's teams played helter-skelter, the real key to the offensive success of each was turnover avoidance. Last year, Nash's Mavs committed just 11.8 turnovers per game, setting a new NBA record. Thanks to their mistake-free play, the Mavs took 519 shots more than any other team, which made it pretty easy for them to pile up the points.
Similarly, this year's Suns are also experts at avoiding the miscue. The Suns turn the ball over on 13.8 percent of their possessions, second only to the Sacramento Kings for the league's best rate. Without Nash last year, they were at 15.5 percent, so Nash is getting them two extra possessions a game. In contrast, the Mavs' rate sans Nash of 14.1 percent is a big reason they've gone from great to merely good, ranking fifth in Offensive Efficiency this year.
Of course, Nash had some help. In both Phoenix and Dallas, he could tag-team with a superb finisher at small forward and a devastatingly effective big man. Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison all made this year's All-Star game, reflecting the outstanding offensive talent that surrounded Nash in both cities.
However, Nash is arguably the best offensive player of the bunch. Based on my Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which measures each player's per-minute statistical production, Nash is well down the leaderboard. However, that's mostly because of his inability to rebound or defend. If we zero out those numbers for everyone and just look at "Offensive PER," Nash takes his rightful place among the elites.
Offensive PER leaders 04-05
Player Team Off. PER
Amare Stoudemire Phoenix Suns 19.81
Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 19.62
Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 19.45
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers 19.44
Stephon Marbury New York Knicks 19.32
While Nash ranks a close third, the news item here is that Stoudemire and Nowitzki are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Looking at the chart, some might wonder how Nash can be labeled the best offensive player in the game if his current and former teammate are both better.
The evidence is clear from Nash's previous two seasons. They show that he has consistently been among the game's top offensive performers, while 2004-05 has been a career year for both Stoudemire and Nowitzki. For instance, only one name makes a repeat appearance in the 2003-04 leaders in Offensive PER:
Offensive PER leaders 03-04
Player Team Off. PER
Tracy McGrady Orlando Magic 20.39
Sam Cassell Minnesota Timberwolves 20.28
Kevin Garnett Minnesota Timberwolves 18.84
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 18.75
Steve Nash Dallas Mavericks 18.01
And, as you might have surmised, Nash was in the top five in 2002-03 as well, although Nowitzki wasn't far behind:
Offensive PER leaders 02-03
Player Team Off. PER
Tracy McGrady Orlando Magic 24.72
Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers 21.04
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 20.52
Steve Nash Dallas Mavericks 19.86
Sam Cassell Milwaukee Bucks 19.34
Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 19.34
So, who deserves the title of the game's best offensive player?
Consider these three factors:
1) The margin among the top five players in Offensive PER this season is razor-thin;
2) Nash was much better than the others each of the previous two seasons; and
3) Nash conducted the two best offenses in "modern" NBA history.
While it's hard to imagine the game's most dominant offensive player being a 6-foot-3 guard who played four years in a second-tier college conference, the results speak for themselves.
If Nowitzki, Stoudemire and LeBron James perform at their current levels again next season, then we'll have to re-examine the issue. But for now, the title has to go to Nash. Not bad for a guy who looks like a roadie for Crazy Horse, eh?