“WE WANT STEVE! WE WANT STEVE! WE WANT STEVE!”

Never mind that the Suns had just given up the lead and a 6-0 run to the Spurs’ third rotation. Never mind that M-V-Steve’s first play after being subbed in to deafening cheers was a turnover. And never mind that Nash played a grand total of 17 minutes. Because the fact is, when Alvin Gentry finally obliged and put him back in for a just over a minute, it wasn’t about winning the game or watching Steve Nash play anymore. It was about giving us the chance to let him know that if it was his last game in a Phoenix Suns jersey, it was going to be memorable for everyone in the building.

Sitting in the upper deck, going crazy every time Nash made a shot, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel going into the night. I knew that this could be Nash and Grant Hill’s last game for the Suns and I felt nervous. I was disappointed that Grant Hill didn’t even get to suit up and enjoy a similar ovation, but maybe it’s better that he didn’t. Because when an arena full of people starts chanting “WE WANT STEVE!” with five minutes to go in a game that doesn’t matter, you know that player meant something. And it felt appropriate that this was Steve Nash’s night, which is why we cried out:

“WE WANT STEVE! WE WANT STEVE! WE WANT STEVE!”

No one really cared that the Suns lost the game. A few cared that Nash only came in for a minute before being subbed out again, but most got over it pretty quick. Everyone cared about getting one last opportunity to show Steve Nash how much his hometown loves him, and that brief, one-minute curtain call was enough for all our emotion to come pouring out. All the memories and highlights of the past few years came back into our minds and because we all sensed that this could be the end, our need to give Nash that standing ovation overpowered anything else that was going on on the court. He deserved to have that moment, regardless of where he chooses to play next year as a free agent. Nash has kept the Suns competitive over the last few years, even without a great supporting cast, and he’s never complained once in that time. He’s been our leader, our hero, our one bright spot in a few dark seasons.

No one knows for sure what will become of Steve Nash after this season. He’s said that Phoenix is his home and that this is his team, but as a competitor, he still wants a championship ring and he stated that if the Suns don’t make the right off-season moves to keep him interested, he might leave. He even mentioned being open to listening to LeBron James try and persuade him to come down to Miami. But nothing is certain yet.

While I’d love to sit here and tell you “Don’t worry, Nash and Hill will both be back next year!” I don’t think I can do it after last night. Even though Nash doesn’t know what he’s going to do yet, both parties approached the night like it was his last just in case. We weren’t taking any chances on missing out on his final appearance in a Suns jersey and because that sentiment was hanging in the air of US Airways, it definitely felt like the end of an era in Suns basketball. On the one hand, I think I speak for everyone when I say that a small part of me almost wants Nash to leave, to move on to bigger and better things and to have a realistic shot at winning a championship with a contender. Especially after that beautifully sentimental moment last night, it would almost seem strange for Nash to return and suffer a few more mediocre seasons here. But on the other hand, a selfish yet powerful voice deep down keeps saying something over and over. It mentions that maybe the Suns can make the right moves to make the team better. It emphasizes that this is Steve Nash’s home. It even pleads that he won’t leave us. But above everything else, it says:

“WE WANT STEVE! WE WANT STEVE! WE WANT STEVE!”

Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs!

Or at least, that’s the way it was until last night, when Los Suns snuck into the eight spot in the West after beating a weak Portland team. And thanks to Denver winning two straight over Houston, Phoenix is tied with the Rockets at 12 games back, but by the virtue of owning the tiebreaker, now cling to the final playoff spot. Now don’t get me wrong, the Suns still have a ways to go in order to make the dream of one last playoff run for Steve Nash and Grant Hill a reality, but last night was the kind of game Phoenix normally drops. You know it’s true. In must-win situations, even if it’s at a time when they’re on a hot streak and against a lackluster squad (a Blazers team without LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum AND Raymond Felton in this case), the Suns have found ways to lose these games. But not last night! Against the Blazers, the Suns remained dominant throughout. And the beautiful thing was, it wasn’t any one or two players pulling the load, but a collective team effort that got the W. Phoenix had six guys score in double digits, and Nash wasn’t one of them. They out-rebounded Portland and racked up eight blocks. In short, they looked like an actual playoff team.

Too bad things don’t get any easier for the Suns. Even though four of their remaining five games are at home, they are all against playoff-contending teams: Oklahoma City, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Utah and San Antonio. And of course the easiest team out of that bunch (Utah) is the one road game. Meanwhile Houston gets Golden State and New Orleans twice along with Miami and Dallas. So realistically, the Suns need to win four of their last five to make the playoffs. That’s a pretty tall order, but it’s not impossible (technically). Phoenix certainly might come to regret a lot of bad losses in the first half of the season (disappointing L’s include the Hornets, Cavs, Nets, Raptors, Blazers and Warriors twice. Ouch). But what better way to atone for those embarrassing losses than to win four of your last five and enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the West? I say there is none. Let’s hope M-V-Steve and company agree.