A 2-Time MVP's Approach

That's what the reigning 2-time MVP Steve Nash looks like when a game gets tough.

After colliding heavily with Parker, he stood over the French guard for a few minutes checking if he was ok. When the camera finally panned to Nash himself, blood was gushing down his nose and dripping on his uniform.

"I know we hit our heads really hard, and he looked like he was really hurting, so I just wanted to make sure he was ok - that's it, really."

Umm, pretty calm words when Nash's cut ended up being so bad they weren't able to stop it and he missed 45 valuable seconds in the game's final minute as the Suns' tried to mount a comeback. Note: After suffering the injury, he did play for a few minutes and hit a big three with 2 minutes left, before the refs finally took him out for continuing to drip blood onto the court. Here are some random quotes from his post-game press conference - see if you get the gist of his message to his teammates:

"We just gotta try to learn from this one, and come back and play a great game Tuesday."

"There was nothing I could do. It was obviously frustrating, but it was really out of my hands. I was just gonna try and be positive for my teammates."

"I think we just gotta be a little hungrier. I thought some of us just didn't have the fire it took to beat a World Championship team, that's not giving yourself a chance. We gotta play a little harder, a little more desperate."

"For us to overcome them, we jus can't give them an inch."

"I just don't think we were hungry enough, and you gotta congratulate them - they made shots, maybe that's coz we didn't make that extra effort every single possession."

Then, when directly asked by some stupid reporter who hadn't caught on about the Suns' tendency to relax, he simply said, "How many times can you talk about it? We just have to have a bigger heart and continue to push through these invisible barriers that seem to pop up. I don't know what they are, but sometimes we just don't play as hard as we should."

Game 2 should be fun to watch. Amare needs to play with more aggression to maximize his athletic advantage over Tim Duncan. If he can't bring it, I'd play Kurt Thomas to bang with TD all game long. Shawn Marion needs more of his reckless abandon in attacking the offensive & defensive glass - he stood on the perimeter a few times as Suns' hoisted up 3s tonight, and that rarely happens when he's on his game. I'd like to see Barbosa create only on fast-break situations, and act as a finisher with either spot-up 3s or pick-and-roll drives to the hoop - just can't say his decision-making ability is up there with Nash's yet.

Nash's line for Game 1: 11-18 from the field (61%), 2-4 from the 3-point line, a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe, and a healthy dose of 8 assists despite a Phoenix offense that saw much less movement & rhythm than we usually see.

Heart & Soul > Talent & Ability

Dirk Nowitzki is the leading MVP candidate for 2006-07... apparently!?!@# You can't be serious.. Yea, his team won a shitload of games during the regular season, but.. c'mon - did you guys watch the same player I watched in last year's Finals & in this year's embarrassment in the first round of the Playoffs? Biggest game of his season thus far, here's his line - 2-13 FG, 0-6 3-pt FG, 8 pts. 2 for 13? Hmm... when did I see those types of numbers last.. Blue Edwards or Greg Anthony circa the Grizzlies' brief expansion tenure in Vancouver?

But seriously.. aside from the issues I have with Nowitzki's style/flair (or lack there of), I can't really say this is the type of basketball player I'd want to build my franchise around. Allen Iverson's been on a decent team & come close to winning once - just once, in his 10+ year career in the NBA. Yet, every time I watch him play, its the same player crashing around in the lane, getting hit multiple times per drive by players twice the size of him - and he NEVER seems to get discouraged.. When the media gets on AI's case, he responds with big games and ever tougher play. Off the court, he might be a distraction at times, but on the court I don't think any of his teammates have EVER not been led by him.. coz in the end, all you can really ask of each other is to try your hardest, and do the best you can.

Dirk's been on a bunch of really deep & talented teams now, over the past few years.. but has he ever really been a leader? Leaders don't miss 2 free-throws late in a game to let the other team come back from a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals. Better yet, from earlier tonight's action, leaders don't stand around brushing hair back, chewing on mouthguards, and looking generally lost on the basketball court. He might be the best-shooting big man the NBA's ever seen, with a rare combination of size & dexterity - but why wasn't he able to step up against players 4, 5 and 6 inches shorter than him AT ALL? Then when he gets criticized, even the slightest bit, he crumbles even more and gets defensive about his play.. Does he think he's supposed to be a role player on that team?! 21 year old Andris Biedrins had a bigger game than Dirk did - while taking half the shots.. and yes, Biedrins IS the prototype role player who hustles, rebounds and plays defense without ever letting his ego come into the picture. Uhh.. Dirk?

I really hope the North American press that gets to vote on this makes the right decision.. Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns won a few less games than the Mavericks, but the impact he leaves on each & EVERY game deserves to be noticed at least once more as the league's Most Valuable Player.. MV3 indeed - he's probably inspired a new generation of tomorrow's point guards to play with a whole new level of daring & confidence in their respective teammates.. I know just about any basketball player, on any level, from amateur to professional, would love to have a floor general like Nash dictating the pace of the game, and distributing the ball to the right people at the right times & places for the rest of the team to make the right plays.

About the Dallas team itself, I remember that, coming into this season, insiders in the franchise were openly saying "This is a much better team than last year, therefore you'll see us in the Finals." They added (read: BOUGHT) defensive stalwarts Greg Buckner & Devean George specifically to counter the fast-paced attacks of teams like Phoenix - but did they see any of that actually coming into play? On paper, their "pieces" fit together better than just about any team in the history of the NBA. Positions 1-thru-5, everything was covered and then some. What they lack is the heart & soul, the players whose love for the game serves as a glue of sorts for the rest of the team. Come to think of it, I actually think Dallas' most assertive on-court leader might be a diminutive streak-shooter who puts his arms over his head and "wooosh"-es back down the court running like an idiotic plane each time he makes a play.. C'mon now, respect your elders Jason Terry - "The Jet" already belongs to Kenny Smith, who won multiple championships with the Houston Rockets by being that "glue" to Olajuwon's paper.. For back-to-back years, he simply ran the offense through The Dream, hit his outside 3s, and played solid team defense.. How could you swagger-jack that nickname from him? Especially for a largely unproven player? Pfffft.

Anyways, my original point with all this is, I'll take heart & soul over talent & ability any day of the week - and that applies to absolutely everything in life. Ability can be taught, heart & soul can't be lost.. Just ask Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Udonis Haslem, or any other number of undrafted big men that went on to create lasting legacies by helping their teams win championships despite being the LAST option on offense on each of their respective teams.

Oh well. History was made, and the 8-seed WIPED OUT the 1-seed in dramatic fashion.. thanks to Mark Cuban's antics and Coach Avery Johnson's general arrogance, I don't think anybody outside of the locals in Dallas is really feeling sorry for this team, either.. Karma anyone?

Kayce Models 2007 Vancouver Model Search - Deadline 5/20/07

Kayce Models Press Release: 2007 Vancouver Model Search - May 28th to June 10th

After months of marketing and corporate development, Toronto-based Kayce Models is now looking for fresh new faces to represent in Vancouver, BC. A rising force in Canada's growing entertainment and fashion industry, Kayce Models currently carries a roster of over 80 fashion, glamour & lingerie models across Canada as well as notable Import Models Cindy Lee and Anna Michelle.

Effective immediately, Kayce Models will be serving an open casting-call to all potential-models from the Greater Vancouver Area to partake in Kayce Models' 2007 Vancouver Model Search. Applicants must be available between May 28th, 2007 to June 10th, 2007, as successful candidates will be contacted for interview and photoshoot appointments with company representatives in Vancouver, BC.

While previous modeling experience is an asset, experience is not required to be considered - the submission deadline the Vancouver Model Search is May 20th, 2007. To apply, fill out the Model Submission Form here.

For more information about Kayce Models or the application process, please visit KayceModels.com.

Most recently, Kayce Models concluded the 3rd Round of their Toronto Model Search on February 28th, 2007, having received over 400 submissions during the process.

Press Contact:
Christina Lee | kaycemodels@gmail.com