Nash Edges O’Neal for MVP

Steve Nash edged Shaquille O’Neal by 34 points to win the NBA’s most valuable player award, the fourth-closest margin since the media began determining the winner in 1980-81.

The decision was first reported Friday, but the official announcement Sunday detailed the balloting by a panel of 127 sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

“I really just want to share this with my teammates,” said Nash, who invited all of his teammates onto the podium when he accepted the award. “This has been an incredible year for me and for our team. For me to come to a new situation and be accepted the way I’ve been by these guys, and for us to be able to form the bond that we have, it’s been special.”

Nash helped Phoenix to an NBA-best 62 victories, a 33-game improvement from last season. Nash, who signed with the Suns as a free agent after six seasons in Dallas, received 1,066 points. O’Neal, who helped the Heat to the best record in the Eastern Conference after being traded to Miami last summer by the Lakers, received 1,032 points.

Nash received 65 first-place votes to O’Neal’s 58. The NBA assist leader at 11.5 a game, Nash is the sixth guard to win the award, joining Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.

Nash’s close friend Dirk Nowitski of Dallas was a distant third in the balloting with 349 points, followed by Tim Duncan (328) of San Antonio and Philadelphia’s Iverson (240).

Nash, drafted by Phoenix in 1996, is the first player to lead the league in assists and be named MVP since Johnson in 1987.

“It’s an incredible oddity in many ways,” said Nash, the first Canadian to win the award. “My neighborhood didn’t have any NBA players. I was offered one scholarship. Obviously hockey is the first, second and third story in our country, so to be here is very unlikely.”

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Sun Coach Mike D’Antoni will be named the NBA’s coach of the year on Tuesday, said the East Valley Tribune of Mesa, Ariz., citing an NBA source.

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MVP Voting

Results of the voting for the 2004-05 NBA most valuable player award, as selected by a panel of the media in the U.S. and Canada (first-place votes in parentheses):

*--* Player, Team Points Steve Nash, Phoenix (65) 1,066 Shaquille O’Neal, Miami (58) 1,032 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 349 Tim Duncan, San Antonio (1) 328 Allen Iverson, Philadelphia (2) 240 LeBron James, Cleveland 93 Tracy McGrady, Houston 44 Dwyane Wade, Miami 43 Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix (1) 41 Ray Allen, Seattle 41 Kevin Garnett, Minnesota 15 Gilbert Arenas, Washington 4 Vince Carter, New Jersey 3 Marcus Camby, Denver 3 P.J. Brown, New Orleans 1 Shawn Marion, Phoenix 1

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