I watched Steve Nash cry in the locker room on Saturday night after coming up just short one more time.  It made me feel bad, and also made me wonder whether this was his last shot at the ring.  Has he come up just short for the last time?

Nash has a unique place in NBA history.  He spent his early years as a back-up player.  He then spent his prime years as a sidekick next to Dirk Nowitzki...very good, but seeming to peak as a borderline All Star.  Dallas didn't re-sign him in 2004, at least in part because they expected that he was physically on the way down and not worth a long, big money contract.

Then, almost inexplicably, he goes on to win back-to-back MVPs in his 30s.  Nash has more MVPs than Shaq, or Kobe, or KG, or Dirk.  Doesn't this make him one of the best ever?  But the thing is, if you're like me, you've never really seen Nash as actually the BEST player...very good, but rarely even among the top few players in the league...more like a solid top 5-10 player.  But he does have those two MVPs...

...and the other thing he has is the record for the most playoff games played in NBA history without a trip to the Finals.  Nash has played 118 playoff games, made the Western Conference Finals four times, but has never played on the biggest stage.  He always almost makes it, but something always goes wrong.

In 2003 the Mavs had the best record in the NBA and had already won a Conference Finals game on the road...and then Dirk Nowitzki got hurt, ending Nash's shot at a ring.

In 2005 the Suns had the best record in the NBA and were doing great in the playoffs before Joe Johnson, one of their best players, broke his face and had to sit out.

In 2006 the Suns were primed to follow up on their success, only Amare Stoudemire had to have microfracture knee surgery and missed almost the entire season.

2007 looked like their season, until Robert Horry hip-checked Nash and Amare left the bench, getting suspended and turning their promising series against the Spurs into yet another almost...but not quite for Nash.

Finally, 2010.  Nash is 36 years old.  The Suns had been left for dead before the season.  Even at the trade deadline, there was talk that they would trade Amare and start the rebuild.  Then, an improbable late season run left them as the #2 seed out West.  They beat up on the Blazers in the first round, shockingly sweep the Spurs in the second round, and go to game 5 in the WCF tied 2 - 2.  Would this finally be the time Nash breaks through?

No.

Ron Artest's miracle last second put-back gives Nash yet another heartbreaking, what if moment.  And now, his season is over.

It doesn't seem right.

I'm not really a Nash fan...like I said, I've never thought he was the best.  But he has been a great player, he has accomplished things in his career that no one ever thought he could, he's been a heck of a competitor, and he's been a great ambassador for the game.  And he was absolutely dominant at times in this postseason, showing that he definitely still has something in the tank.  Like the TNT crew said after the game last night, he's a lot of what's right in the NBA.  And even though he doesn't play for one of my favorite teams, I'm hoping that this wasn't the end of the line for Nash.  That he gets at least one more crack at that ring.  One more chance to show that he really is more than just an almost champion.