B.C. native Steve Nash is battered and bruised but he is still plowing his way through the Suns' Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Suns were down 2-0 in the series, but they battled back on Tuesday night, making the series a best-of-three.
The Suns may be shorter but they have stood tall against a Lakers team, star-powered by Kobe Bryant.
Nash has star-power of his own, but now, after one-eying his way through the Conference Semi-Finals, Nash isn't going to stick his nose up in the air.
He's going to shake it off and snap his broken nose back into place with a shrug.
"That guy's tough," said Stanley Cup finalist Adam Burish of the Chicago Blackhawks. "I don't care what anyone else says. That guy's tough."
Burish isn't Canadian, but insists Nash embodies the Canadian "hockey toughness." He says the rest of "those basketball guys" aren't as rugged and steel willed.
He tips his cap to the Suns' captain.
"I've had a couple bumps and bruises that haven't affected my play," Nash told media after his team tied the series with the Lakers 2-2.
Bumps and bruises may be an understatement. Nash sported a swollen-over, stitched up eye for most of his series against the Spurs. He managed to sink baskets gazing out of one, wide open eyeball.
But, unlike the pirates commentators compared Nash to, he doesn't want treasure. He just wants to win. If that means casually performing self-surgery, on-court, to his nose, it's fine with him.
"I just wanted to win the game," said Nash. He also said he doesn't know how many times he has broken his nose.
Nash fought off Lakers guard Derek Fisher for the ball, accidently crushing the bones in his nose in the process in Game Three.
"You can see it in him. How far he is and how bad he wants to win," said Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brain Campbell.
Nash's coach agrees and thinks number 13 is the epitome of the hockey mentality. It's a mentality he will have to keep if he wants his team to beat the Lakers and move on to the NBA Finals.
A critical Game Five goes Thursday night at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. The Suns bench must continue to outplay the Lakers bench, like they did at home.
The Suns bench outscored the Lakers in Game Four leading the way for a two-game comeback 54-20. The Suns also capitalized on three-point shooting.
One thing is certain; Nash must continue his hockey style of play if he wants his team to move on the next round.
If he does, he may have NHL general managers calling come July 1 to add some toughness to their rosters.
