Steve Nash‘s two consecutive MVP wins in 2005 and 2006 remain a point of controversy, even 20 years later. Speaking on ‘Run It Back’, former Suns star Joe Johnson explained why Steve Nash was the rightful winner of the awards both years, noting that Nash’s presence allowed them to dominate against teams, and when he wasn’t playing, the Suns were perennially struggling to defeat teams.
“We had a stretch where [Nash] would miss like 8-10 games, we probably won one game, I’m not gonna lie. That’s how important he was to us. When we had him on the floor we was blowing out teams left and right. When he wasn’t on the floor it was like why is the game so hard.”
In 2005, Steve Nash won his first MVP with 1066 points, with 650 points coming from the 65 first-place votes he received from the panel.
Right behind him was Shaquille O’Neal, who had 1032 points with 580 points coming from 59 first-place votes. Dirk Nowitzki was a distant third behind both with 349 points and no first-place votes. Tim Duncan finished fourth with 328 points, of which 10 points came from one first-place vote.
2004-05 MVP Voting:
1. Steve Nash – 1066 points – 65 first-place votes
2. Shaquille O’Neal – 1032 points – 58 first-place votes
3. Dirk Nowitzki – 349 points – 0 first-place votes
4. Tim Duncan – 328 points – 1 first-place vote
Steve Nash averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.2% from the field, 43.1% from beyond the arc, and 88.7% from the free-throw line. Nash led the Suns to a 62-20 record, the best in the NBA.
On the other hand, Shaquille O’Neal, who many feel deserved the award over Nash, averaged 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.5 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 60.1% from the field and 46.1% from the free-throw line. Shaq led the Heat to a 59-23 record, the best in the Eastern Conference.
Many feel that Shaq having better numbers in points, rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage should have been enough to secure the legendary big man his second MVP. But that just wasn’t the case. Nash’s 2005 win may have been close from a points standpoint, but his 2006 win was anything but close.
In 2006, Steve Nash won his second straight MVP with 924 points, including 570 points from 57 first-place votes. LeBron James was the runner-up by some distance, with 688 points, 160 of which came from 16 first-place votes. Dirk Nowitzki finished third, with 544 points, 140 of which came from 14 first-place votes. Kobe Bryant finished fourth with 483 points, with 220 points coming from 22 first-place votes.
2005-06 MVP Voting:
1. Steve Nash – 924 points – 57 first-place votes
2. LeBron James – 688 points – 16 first-place votes
3. Dirk Nowitzki – 544 points – 14 first-place votes
4. Kobe Bryant – 483 points – 22 first-place votes
Nash’s 2006 MVP win also came under controversial circumstances. He averaged 18.8 points, 10.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 51.2% from the field, 43.9% from beyond the arc, and 92.1% from the free-throw line.
Nash averaged fewer points per game than all three candidates – Kobe Bryant (35.4 PPG), LeBron James (31.4 PPG), and Dirk Nowitzki (26.6 PPG). But because his Suns had a better record (54-28, 2nd Seed West) than Kobe’s Lakers (45-37, 7th Seed West) and LeBron’s Cavaliers (50-32, 3rd Seed East), he was given the MVP award.
Nash was a great player, and a genuine superstar during those years. But the fact of the matter is there were several players far more deserving of the honor of MVP the two times he won the award.
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