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Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images
With less than two seconds left on the clock and the game tied at 93, Turkoglu drained a three from beyond the arc to give the Magic a 96-93 win over the Celtics.
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By Lauren Brill
The Global Top 10 is your weekly guide to NBA global news. In this week's edition find out which international athletes will play in the 2008 T-Mobilie Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, who hit a game-winner and who matched two of their season-highs in one game.
International Players: Rookie Game
The votes are in and the players have been selected. Assistant coaches around the league (one from each team) submitted ballots to decide which rookies and sophomores would make an appearance in the 2008 T-Mobilie Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam during All-Star weekend in New Orleans. Unsurprisingly, international NBA athletes flooded the first year's roster. Non-American players invited to play include Al Horford, Juan Carlos Navarro, Luis Scola and Yi Jianlian. On the sophomore's squad Andrea Bargnani is the only international competitor that made the cut. The Buck's freshman phenom, Yi, shared his thoughts on being selected with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I expected it. This is something that I've worked hard for with my performance in a lot of games. I'm really happy and I'm just hoping that I can take this and help the rookie team win the game."
1. International Players: Rookie GameThe votes are in and the players have been selected. Assistant coaches around the league (one from each team) submitted ballots to decide which rookies and sophomores would make an appearance in the 2008 T-Mobilie Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam during All-Star weekend in New Orleans. Unsurprisingly, international NBA athletes flooded the first year's roster. Non-American players invited to play include Al Horford, Juan Carlos Navarro, Luis Scola and Yi Jianlian. On the sophomore's squad Andrea Bargnani is the only international competitor that made the cut. The Buck's freshman phenom, Yi, shared his thoughts on being selected with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I expected it. This is something that I've worked hard for with my performance in a lot of games. I'm really happy and I'm just hoping that I can take this and help the rookie team win the game."
2. Hedo Turkoglu's Miracle Shot  To say the very least, it was a good week for Hedo Turkoglu. Sharing the Player of the Week honor with Al Jefferson, the highlight of the Turkey-native's recent performances occurred on Sunday night when the Magic defeated the Celtics sans Kevin Garnett, 96-93. With less than two seconds left on the clock and the game tied at 93, Turkoglu drained a three from beyond the arc to give the Magic the win. For his clutch shot he received the Haier Play of the Day honor. While the Magic's forward received much praise for his miraculous three, he would have been satisfied simply with a win. "I didn't really want to settle on a jumper. I just tried to go to the hole and take a foul, but they had good defense and forced me to take a tough shot,'' an elated Turkoglu said to the AP.
 Video:
Turkoglu nails game-winner
Photo: Turkoglu's magical shot
Photo: Turkoglu celebrates
3. Yao Matches His Season-Highs  On Tuesday night an old recipe went stale for the Golden State Warriors, who fell to the Rockets 111-107 in Houston. In the past this season, the Warriors executed a simple and successful game plan when they matched up against Houston: shut down Yao Ming and use their speed. Twice their strategy led them to victory as Yao averaged a scant 13 points in the two previous games. But Tuesday night, Houston had an answer for Golden State's approach. With Yao's supporting cast playing well, the Chinese import had a little less pressure on him. As a result he was able to exploit Golden State's diminutive lineup as he dominated the boards, drained 11-for-19 from the field and went 14-for-15 from the line. On the night the 7-6 center matched his season highs, 36 points and 19 rebounds. Sans Tracy McGrady, who was out with flu-like symptoms, the Rockets ended a four-game losing streak to the Warriors. After witnessing a monstrous performance by Yao, opponent Al Harrington told the Houston Chronicle, "It seemed like he was (angry) about the last four or five games played (against the Warriors), and he really showed it."
Video:
Yao: Too Much To Handle
Photo: Yao "Wows" Golden State
4. Vujacic: No Longer a "12:30" Guy No longer can Kobe Bryant call Sasha Vujacic a "12:30" guy for his inability to perform in games the way he plays in practice. Tuesday night the Slovenia-native came to his team's rescue in the final quarter. Down by nine in the team's last home game before embarking on nine-game road trip, the reserve scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, including two treys that ignited his teammates desire to fight back and defeat the New York Knicks 120-109. The game also marked the end of a three-game losing streak, the longest string of losses for the Lakers this season. But without the inspired performance of Vujacic, the Lakers fate could have easily been different. An impressed but not surprised Kobe Bryant told the AP in reference to the reserve guard's clutch performance, "He's continued to work hard. He's been diligent at it. It seems his time has come.''
5. Bargnani: Second Time is a Charm Toronto could run a campaign about the difference a day can make. Facing the Wizards back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday night, the Raptors played with an aggression and a sense of urgency in the second matchup that they lacked in the previous night's 108-104 overtime loss. Andrea Bargnani particularly had a complete turn around in the 24 hour period. Logging a scant three points in Washington on Tuesday, the first pick of the 2006 NBA Draft scored a game-high 19 points in the Raptors 122-83 home win on Wednesday night. The Raptors tied their franchise's largest margin of victory with a difference of 39 points. Hoping the seven footer can maintain this level of play, Chris Bosh told the AP, "If he continues to do that, this team is going to be a lot better.''
 6. Biedrins Records NBA Season-High While rumors of Chris Webber returning to Golden State circulated, it was Andris Biedrins who grabbed the headlines in newspapers following Sunday night's 106-104 win over the New York Knicks. A beast in the paint, Biedrins collected an NBA season-high 26 boards. The feat marked the most rebounds by any Warrior since Larry Smith, who had 31 on March 28, 1981. With a total of nine lead changes throughout the game the Latvia native was the difference-maker for the Warriors. "Biedrins was unbelievable. He got traffic rebound after traffic rebound and probably resulted in us getting a win that could have very easily been a loss," Golden State's coach Don Nelson explained to the San Francisco Chronicle.
7. Duncan: Pretty Shot in Ugly Game No one ever said a win had to look pretty. Behind for most of the game, the Spurs-Suns matchup on Thursday night came down to the final seconds. Team leader and 2008 All-Star starter, Tim Duncan drained a crucial shot from the field with 30.9 seconds left to give San Antonio an 80-79 lead. Pumping up his teammates with the clutch shot, the basket was followed by several solid Spurs plays, including two steals from point guard Steve Nash. A little luck (Phoenix missed free throws down the stretch) combined with a gallant effort late in the game, granted the Spurs an 84-81 victory to end their three-game losing streak. Duncan, who initiated the late game comeback, logged a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. All in all, it was a sloppy victory but San Antonio got the job done. Despite their struggle throughout, Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich explained to the San Antonio Express-News,"We hung in and we had some opportunities at the end."
8. Kirilenko Tallies 23 Points Competitive and aggressive, the Utah Jazz displayed their heart and passion in their 97-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Forcing 20 turnovers, the Jazz maintained the lead throughout the entire game. Offensively, Andrei Kirilenko was one of Utah's most lethal weapons Monday night. Shooting 9-for-18 from the field, draining a three and hitting all four of his freebies, the Russia-native tallied 23 points on the night. So, did Utah know all along they had a sharp shooter in Kirilenko? "I've watched him from afar before, but never really realized how good he is. He is playing unbelievable basketball right now," teammate Kyle Korver said to the
Daily Utah Chronicle.
9. Ginobili and Parker Recognized in Losses While the Spurs went home without a win, they were not without big plays in Saturday night's 102-78 home loss to the New Orleans Hornets. With the game tied at 41, sixth-man, Manu Ginobili rejected Tyson Chandler as he went up for the Jam. NBA TV recognized the play as the Block of the Night. Meanwhile teammate Tony Parker received the Assist of the Night honor for a slick feed to Tim Duncan. Unfortunately for the Spurs the isolated great plays did not translate into an overall good game. After a particularly disappointing fourth quarter where the former champs were outscored by the Hornets 30-14, a bewildered Tony Parker told the San Antonio Express-News, "I'm not sure what happened. It seemed like they made every shot."
Video:
Ginobili: Block of the Night
Video:
Parker: Assist of the Night
10. Scola is a "Rookie Veteran" Referred to by his teammate Bonzi Wells as a "rookie veteran," the oxymoron is the most accurate description of 27 year-old Luis Scola. Previously recognized as one the best basketball players in the world outside of the NBA, the Argentinean-native has finally ventured to the NBA and is a member of the Houston Rockets squad. Coming off the bench averaging 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, NBA Action caught up with the first-year-vet to discuss the challenges he faces in the NBA and how he is adapting to a new team and league. Excited and determined, Houston's reserve explained, "I think I have everything I want. This is unbelievable. I didn’t expect to get the chance to play on a competitive team. I don’t think I could ask for anything else."
Video:
NBA TV: Scola's Transition to the NBA
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