As a back-up point guard to two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns, Goran Dragic is expected to just provide temporary relief for Nash while he is sitting on the bench.

However, he showed flashes of brilliance during the 2009-10 NBA season that the Suns decided that he will be the team’s point guard of the future when 36-year old Nash decided to retire from playing.

In his first NBA post-season, he averaged just 5.6 points per game and nothing more is expected from him as the Suns is loaded with more than enough guns in Nash, Stoudemire, Richardson, Barbosa and Hill.

In Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs Semifinal Round series, trailing the Spurs for all of the 1st 3 quarters, Dragic substituted for Nash and promptly scored on a layup to put the Suns ahead 73-72, their first lead of the game. Dragic went on to hit 9 of 11 shots , including all four of his 3-point attempts to score 23 of his 26 total points in the 4th quarter.

Such was his dominance that Nash did not play until 3 minutes remain in the game and Stoudemire, all of the 4th quarter.

Suns Coach Alvin Gentry says,

“He’s my secret weapon. I don’t know where he came from, either.”

Team mate Grant Hill says,

“I think it’s safe to say that may have been the best fourth-quarter performance I have ever seen in a playoff game.”

His inspired play gave his team a 110-96 win and a commanding 3-0 lead in their series.

For the Spurs, this was grim news. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

Since 2003, San Antonio have ousted Phoenix from the playoffs four consecutive times. The Suns’ misery may finally end this year.

After the game, Dragic was quoted as saying,

“I am Goran Dragić, from Slovenia. I come to USA for play Phoenix Basketball.”

Welcome to the NBA Playoffs Goran Dragic.

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Tags: 2010 NBA playoffs, goran dragic, phoenix suns, san antonio spurs