Apr. 19, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center (15) Robin Lopez flagrant fouls Los Angeles Clippers forward (32) Blake Griffin in the third quarter at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Clippers 93-90. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Robin Lopez’ “Flagrant Two” (It wasn’t even close to being anything more than a hard foul, sorry guys) on Blake Griffin has created quite the stir around the Clippers locker room and around the NBA. Charles Barkley said the Clippers needed to do a better job of protecting Griffin from hard fouls and Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan and Reggie Evans also provided their two cents on “Flagrantgate”

DeAndre Jordan had this to say:

“If Blake gets fouled, I can’t go punch someone in the nose,” Jordan said. “We can’t do that but throughout the course of a game, other fouls happen to other players on the opposite team and if they happen to be hard fouls, they happen to be hard fouls. We’re going to protect our teammates; it doesn’t matter who it is.”

This is the expected response, you foul our star, we foul you. Fair enough as that is the time honored tradition we have come to expect from the NBA.

However former Raptor and Raptors Rapture’s favorite player Reggie Evans provided a very Reggie Evans take to all of this foolishness.

“Blake is 6-10 and what, 240 or something? He’s a big boy. He should know how to defend himself out there,” Evans said.

It would be different, Evans said, if opponents were picking on smaller Clippers such as Chris Paul, Mo Williams or Eric Bledsoe. If that was the case, Evans and the other Clippers big men would gladly step up in defense.

“But you’re talking about a big man helping out another big man, you know what I’m saying,” Evans said. “You’ve got to be able to defend yourself.”

Evans said he would not have let it get to this point, if he was on the wrong end of the physical play.

“If I’m in that position people are not going to be doing me like that, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “I ain’t gonna depend on no NBA to take care of it.

“My high school coach, he told me a way to get a person up off you. There is a way to get someone up off you. You can’t ask another big man to do it.”

Plain and simple. You are a big boy, do it yourself. Gotta love Reggie Evans.

Apr 14, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash (13) shoots during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

Growing up loving basketball in Canada two players reigned supreme: Vince Carter and Steve Nash. That meant through the legs dunks/layups on lowered rims and practicing no look passes in driveways and playgrounds whenever possible. As I got older my love for the Raptors grew but every year I found myself hopping on the Suns playoff bandwagon, wanting to see the man who put Canadian basketball on the map finally get his ring.

Each year ended the same, with Nash and the Suns putting together a solid, but not good enough effort, providing some of the best playoff basketball series’ in recent memory against the Spurs and Lakers, but failing to actually win them. The championship window has came and passed, Amare left town along with Nash’s protege Goran Dragic, Jason Richardson went to Orlando for Marcin Gortat and the Suns missed the playoffs last season.

However Steve Nash has yet to stop giving it absolutely everything he has for the Suns, instead of forcing his way out of town for a chance at a ring Nash has come to play every night for the last year of his contract, chasing the assists title and leading an extremely weak Suns roster to an impressive 31-29 record and sit one game behind the Rockets for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.

The fact that the Suns are even in this position is impressive with a team that looked and should be headed for the lottery, but as always Nash has made those around him better, specifically Marcin Gortat who is finally reaching the potential we all noticed when he was backing up Dwight Howard. Nash has left no doubt that he is still one of the game’s most valuable point guards and team leaders but the question remains: Can he give Suns’ fans one last run of playoff memories?

With games against Portland, Oklahoma City the Clippers, Denver, Utah, and San Antonio left it is unlikely that the Suns will catch a Rockets squad that has a one game lead in addition to easy wins against New Orleans (twice) and Golden State left on the board, it seems that once again the odds are against Steve Nash.

Win or lose the city of Phoenix and the NBA has been treated to some of the best offensive basketball ever and owes a massive debt of gratitude to a man who has given everything to the Suns fans and the game of basketball in general. Sure the Suns maybe should have won a championship and passed up on some good regular seasons with early playoff exit, but with Nash likely looking for a change of scenery in free agency this summer one of basketball’s infamous runs is about to come to an end.

So take time over the next two weeks to watch one of the game’s legends do what he does best, hop on the Suns bandwagon if you want, but no matter what respect should be paid.

No matter how the next six games pan out: One thing should be remembered from the Steve Nash era in Phoenix: Never count out a goofy white Canadian.