Steve Nash, from Victoria, British Columbia, had won his second straight NBA MVP award.
He added another NBA MVP trophy (for a total of four), an Olympic gold medal and his first title over the past year.
He was followed closely by the Miami Heat's LeBron James, the three-time NBA MVP who chipped in with 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
But coach Tom Thibodeau said he can't look ahead to how the team will adjust with Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP, back on the floor.
The three-time NBA MVP knew he was one board away from a special night so he went after it hard early in the fourth quarter.
In the fall of 1993, at the peak of his athletic abilities, three-time NBA finals MVP Michael Jordan quit the Chicago Bulls to join a minor league baseball farm team in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Of all the overseas arrivals that have made their mark in the NBA, Wade singled out for special mention Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, who was named NBA finals MVP as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Heat to the 2011 championship.
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James spun and fell and West tumbled toward the baseline during what looked like a poorly choreographed dance routine as the NBA's MVP defended the Indiana forward.
He had 15 All-Star Game appearances, 4 NBA titles, 3 Finals MVP awards and a league MVP award (along with several near misses).
Cedric Maxwell, the MVP of the 1980 NBA Finals, said superstars might be too demanding to make great coaches.
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Despite joining an elite group of NBA players who have been named MVP three times, James said his real goal is to win a championship.
But all credit to Steve Nash and to his teammates, because remember, they lost Amare Stoudemire for the entire season, arguably an NB - I can say MVP candidate in the NBA - Sorry, Steve -and yet here they are back in the conference finals.
Anthony received the one first-place vote that kept LeBron James from being the NBA's first unanimous selection as MVP.
The NBA still does not have a unanimous MVP, though no one has come closer than James did this season.
James, a three-time league MVP, won his first NBA championship last week when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma Thunder.
Fortuitously, the Lakers were in the middle of winning three consecutive NBA titles, with Shaq bagging the Finals MVP during each playoff run.
Along the way, he was awarded the MVP award for the regular season and the NBA Finals.
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He was awarded the MVP award for both the regular season and the NBA Finals.
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Los Angeles added two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash earlier in the offseason, and the two new stars join five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant to form a dominant trio of top-five players at their respective positions.
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