Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash leaves the court after a game against the San Antonio Spurs on April 25, 2012. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Steve Nash, arguably one of the greatest players to ever play for the Phoenix Suns, may have played his last game Wednesday night for the franchise he has spent 10 of his 16 years in the NBA.

Nash played 18 minutes, made four of seven shots from the field and scored eight points, and dished out seven assists. He sat for much of the game, but Suns fans began chanting “We want Steve!” in the fourth quarter that forced Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry to bring his star point guard back on the court to take one final bow.

The two-time NBA MVP checked back in with just under four minutes remaining in a meaningless regular season game against the Spurs, a team that has tormented Nash and Co. for the past seven seasons. After a quick turnover and a few jogs up and down the court, Nash was taken out of the game for good at the 3:30 mark.

Nash is 38 years old and will become a free agent this summer. He has repeatedly said he’ll weigh all his options and Phoenix remains in the mix. However, given the state of the Suns and their rebuilding roster, it’s hard to image Nash passing up on an opportunity to play for a championship contender.

Nash feels he can still make a difference on the court. Even though his numbers this season are slightly below par (12.5 points, 10.7 assists), they still rank reasonably high for his position.

“I feel great especially considering the schedule this year,” Nash said after the Suns lost to the Spurs 110-106.

“I feel like if I can handle the schedule, the minutes, and all the responsibility I have with this team to make plays I feel like I can keep going for who knows. But definitely for three more years,” Nash said. “I feel really lucky and blessed to keep playing at a high level and distribute (the ball) to my teammates. I still love to compete. As you know, you can’t go back I might as well make the most of it.”

As he left the court, US Airways Arena gave him a standing ovation that is normally reserved for a player who is about to say goodbye. Nash slapped hands with teammates and got a big hug from Gentry.

As he walked to the locker room, he slapped hands and waved to his adoring fans who have stuck with him through thick and thin. But you can say Nash has done the say for them. He had a chance to leave last season or even this season, but he stayed loyal to the franchise who drafted him in 1996. He was true to his word when he said earlier in the season that he wanted to play this thing out and stay loyal to his “guys.”

The Suns made a push for the playoffs, but fell short after losing to Utah on Tuesday, giving the Jazz the final playoff spot. It was a minor miracle that the Suns were even in the playoff hunt given all the roster changes and the injuries the Suns have endured the past two seasons.

Unless Phoenix acquires a big-time free agent this summer, it is highly unlikely it will be a championship contender for next season. As Nash pointed out, he feels he could play three more seasons. It’s time he played those three seasons where he can contend for that elusive championship.

Kobe Bryant is all smiles after his Lakers defeated the Suns in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Kobe or LeBron?

It’s a debate that has sounds ridiculous at this point because one of them is sitting at home planning field trips to Chicago, New York and Miami, while the other is making reservations for the NBA Finals.

The more we watch Kobe Bryant, the more we begin to realize that the title of “Best Player in Basketball” clearly belongs to him at this point in time. Sure, LeBron James put together an outstanding 2009-10 season and deserves to be in the MVP debate, but the conversation starts and ends with Bryant.

The bottom line is this: Kobe is simply head and shoulders better than anyone else in the sport. He is the most decorated player in the league in terms of records and accomplishments, he’s without peer when it comes to pure basketball skill, he has an incredible drive, toughness, focus and determination, and no player in the league is more feared at the end of the game than The Black Mamba.

Just ask Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry.

“Every time we got it close, Kobe made an incredible tough shot that is well defended,” said Gentry, whose team lost 4-2 in the Western Conference finals because they simply couldn’t hold Bryant in check.

In six games against the Suns, Bryant averaged 33.7 points and shot 52% from the field and 43% from the 3-point line. And in the series-clinching Game 6, he scored nine points in the final three minutes to fend off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Suns.

“I’ve always been a big fan of his, and he knows that, and I’ve always thought he’s the best player in basketball,” said Gentry. “He didn’t do anything in this series against us that made me think otherwise. As a matter of fact, it probably solidified my thought process that he’s the best player in basketball right now.”

Better than, dare I say, Michael Jordan?

“Now, I’m not going to get into that. I might work for the Bobcats some day,” Gentry said. “All I’m saying, at this time right now, he’s the best player in basketball. It’s not even close.”

Kobe Bryant gives Suns coach Alvin Gentry a stare after knocking down a fadeaway shot near the Phoenix bench during Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

When you think about it, Bryant has been the best in the league since 2006. That was the year he averaged a mind-boggling 35 points per game and lit up Toronto for 81 points. But, for some reason, voters gave Steve Nash the MVP that year and the following year the same voters gave Dirk Nowitzki the nod.

Bryant finally got the media’s attention in 2008 when he collected his first – and only – league MVP trophy. But the past two seasons, basketball writers have developed such a man crush on LeBron that Bryant has become almost an afterthought and didn’t receive a single first-place vote. Are you kidding me? We’re talking about the reigning Finals MVP and undisputed best closer in the game. He pulled the Lakers out of the jaws of defeat six times during the regular season. Six times!

“Kobe’s so good he makes incredible normal for us,” says Laker teammate Lamar Odom.

After the Suns cut the Lakers lead to three at the 2:19 mark in the fourth quarter of Game 6, Bryant decided to take it upon himself to pull his team out of a tough situation. He got the ball on the wing and buried a jump shot over Grant Hill and Channing Frye to give the Lakers a 101-96 lead with under two minutes left. Then, with 35.2 remaining, Bryant put the game away when he drove past the Suns bench, rose up over Hill and swished a fadeaway shot from about 22 feet to make it 107-100. Ballgame!

“I’m not sure if those are shooters’ shots. Those are scorers’ [shots]. You know, best-player-in-the-game type shots,” Steve Nash said of Bryant’s fourth-quarter baskets with a high degree of difficulty. “He is incredibly skilled and talented, and he’s a great competitor – and clutch. He deserves an incredible amount of praise.”

Bryant finished with a game-high 37 points – his 10th 30-point game in his last 11 playoff games. He now has 75 30-point games in his playoff career, tying him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Michael Jordan holds the record with 109 30-point games.

“Just had to keep attacking, trying to stay aggressive,” he said. “They had help coming from the weakside, with traps and things like that, and made it difficult for me to get to the basket. So, I just had to create a little bit of space and raise up. It looks like a tougher shot than it actually is. I got a good look, got my legs underneath me and was able to knock it down.”

Gentry got a great view of Bryant’s ridiculous fall-away shot over Hill, who played it about as well as any player could defend it. Unfortunately, Bryant was just too good.

“After I knocked down the shot, I just heard him mutter something like ‘That’s BS!’ Something to that effect. It just made me smile. I just padded them on the butt,” Bryant said of his sideline encounter with Gentry.

“I mean, what can you say about Kobe?” Gentry asked.

“There’s an intense game going on and you almost have to laugh at what he does,” Gentry said while shrugging his shoulders. “I thought we played great defense on him and he just made tough shot, after tough shot. I thought Grant was going to block his shot. You realize that was a fall-away 3-pointer with a hand in your face, off-balance. That’s who he is.”

When asked what he told Bryant as he fell back into the Suns bench after swishing the game-clinching shot over Hill, Gentry said: “I said ‘Good defense’ to Grant and [Kobe] said ‘Not good enough.’ ”

Kobe was just too good.

Video courtesy of NBA.com

L.A. will face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, a matchup of two teams with a combined 32 NBA championship banners. Game 1 of The Finals begin Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Against the Suns in Game 6, the Lakers built a 12-point lead at halftime and led throughout the second half. But backup point guard Goran Dragic led a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Suns in which the home team sliced an 18-point deficit to three points with under three minutes remaining. Dragic ignited the surge when he scored six points in nine seconds, two coming on free throws after Sasha Vujacic was called for a Flagrant 1 foul when he hit Dragic in the chin as the two Slovenians got tangled up in the backcourt.

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher make their third consecutive trip the NBA Finals, their first trip with Ron Artest as a teammate. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

But when the game got close, the Lakers turned to the best closer in the game – Bryant.

After the Suns cut the lead to 99-96 with 2:19 left, Bryant got the ball on the wing and buried a shot over Grant Hill and Channing Frye to give the Lakers a five-point lead. Then, with 35.2 remaining, Bryant put the game away when he drove past the Suns bench, rose up over Hill and swished a fadeaway shot from about 22 feet to make it 107-100.

“Just had to keep attacking, trying to stay aggressive,” said Kobe Bryant, who scored a game-high 37 points – his ninth 30-point game in his last 10 playoff games.

“They had help coming from the weakside, with traps and things like that, and made it difficult for me to get to the basket. So, I just had to create a little bit of space and raise up,” Bryant said. “I had a good look, it looks like a tougher shot than it actually is. I got a good look, got my legs underneath me and was able to knock it down.”

Suns coach Alvin Gentry got a great view of Bryant’s fall-away shot and thought Hill played it about as well as any player could defend it. Unfortunately, Bryant was just better than any defense the Suns threw at him.

“After I had knocked down a shot, I just heard him mutter something like ‘That’s BS!’ Something to that effect. It just made me smile. I just padded them on the butt,” Bryant said of his sideline encounter with Gentry.

“I mean, what can you say about Kobe?” Gentry asked. “There’s an intense game going on and you almost have to laugh at what he does. I thought we played great defense on him and he just made tough shot, after tough shot.”

Bryant’s got some help offensively from Ron Artest, who carried over his game-winning play from Game 5 to a very solid 10-for-16 shooting night and 25 points in Game 6.