Lakers point guard Steve Nash got through practice Friday, and has told reporters he is "very optimistic" about returning to the starting lineup Sunday for the Lakers' playoff opener in San Antonio.
Nash has missed the last eight games with a bad hamstring and hip soreness, and has missed 32 games total this year. The first 24 games he missed were due to a leg fracture he suffered very early in the season.
Nash underwent two epidural injections in his lower back Tuesday to alleviate the pain in his hamstring. After team doctors administered an MRI Tuesday, the Lakers said Nash is dealing with "several preexisting issues related to his hip and back, which are causing nerve irritation and contributing to his hamstring pain and weakness."
Steve Blake, who has been filling in for Nash and is usually the backup point guard is expecting Nash to start in the backcourt with him Sunday against the Spurs. The main roadblock to Nash's return had been his inability to run full speed without experiencing pain.
''Especially the last two weeks, I couldn't sprint,'' he said before completing practice Friday. ''There was just too much inhibition from the nerve, and it was just shutting me down whenever I tried to cover some ground. It's hard to play in an NBA game if you can't change ends of the floor. That's the last little bit I'm hoping for, and it's feeling pretty close.''
With Kobe Bryant unavailable for the postseason due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, a return by Nash could be a big boon for an offense that has relied on monster games from Blake to even make the playoffs. A Nash-Blake backcourt could cause problems for the Lakers' maligned defense, because they are both undersized offense-first players.
Head coach Mike D'Antoni expects his guys to be able to overcome that though, and hinted at some possible creativity in his lineup choices. ''Nothing says (Nash) has to guard the point guard, and nothing says he has to play big minutes,'' D'Antoni said. ''We'll see, but Steve wasn't the problem defensively. He's a good defender, and a good team defender. I don't expect us to back up at all.''
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