Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash, although not at 100 percent, is trying his best to play during the playoffs, despite being served a series of injuries. He said he wants to what it takes to help his team overcome the challenges of playing the San Antonio Spurs:

"I love to play and I love this team," Nash said. "I want to fight for these guys and be a part of this team having some happy times. We've had a lot of down days and we've stuck with it. . . . We've had a lot of ups and downs and a lot of tough nights, so I want to turn that around and be a part of helping these guys enjoy this."

After missing the final eight games of the regular season, many had predicted that Nash was still not healthy enough to step back on the court but is only doing so for the sake of the playoffs. Coach Mike D'Anton I agrees, but also says that the Lakers can't perform to their full potential against the Spurs without Nash:

"He gives us that threat on the floor that's good and I think he'll get better as his leg gets better," D'Antoni said Monday after the Lakers' practice. "We're not going to do it without him. He'll battle through some injuries that he has, but he'll be ready to go Wednesday [for Game 2]."

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