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Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images
Manu Ginobili won the Kia Motors Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Argentinean received 615 out of a possible 620 points. |
By Lauren Brill
The Global Top 10 is your weekly guide to NBA global news. In this week's edition find out who nailed a three to send their team into a second overtime period, who received the Sixth Man of the Year Award and who won their first playoff game.
Sixth Manu of the YearYou might have been surprised when Miami shipped Shaq off to Phoenix. The Sixers beating the Pistons in Game 1 of the First Round of the 2008 Playoffs could be considered unexpected. But Manu Ginobili winning the Kia Motors Sixth Man of the Year accolade? That was a no brainer. The Argentinean received 615 out of a possible 620 points. Serving as the sixth man in 51 of the 74 regular season games he played in, Ginobili led the reigning champs in scoring, averaging 19.5 points. He also compiled averages of 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 dimes and 1.5 steals. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich complimented Ginobili's selfless attitude, telling the San Antonio Express-News, "Manu is a player much more concerned about the group than himself. He got over himself a long time ago. It's all about his team and what he can do, and he will do whatever is best."
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Manu: Sixth Man of the Year
1. Sixth Manu of the YearYou might have been surprised when Miami shipped Shaq off to Phoenix. The Sixers beating the Pistons in Game 1 of the First Round of the 2008 Playoffs could be considered unexpected. But Manu Ginobili winning the Kia Motors Sixth Man of the Year accolade? That was a no brainer. The Argentinean received 615 out of a possible 620 points. Serving as the sixth man in 51 of the 74 regular season games he played in, Ginobili led the reigning champs in scoring, averaging 19.5 points. He also compiled averages of 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 dimes and 1.5 steals. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich complimented Ginobili's selfless attitude, telling the San Antonio Express-News, "Manu is a player much more concerned about the group than himself. He got over himself a long time ago. It's all about his team and what he can do, and he will do whatever is best."
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Manu: Sixth Man of the Year
2. Pau Wins First Playoff Game My mother always told me good things come to those who wait. Luckily for Pau Gasol, he doesn’t have to test his patience any longer. On Sunday night he won his first playoff game after dropping his first 12 postseason games on his career. The Spanish athlete logged a game-high 36 points and 16 rebounds, en route to a 128-114 Lakers win. Denver did not know how to respond to the seven footer's dominate play in the paint. Elated about the team's success in Game 1, the big man explained to Fox Sports, " I found the open gaps and my teammates found me. I think that's definitely one of our biggest strengths — the way we move the ball and share the ball. We have a lot of guys with really high basketball IQs."
Photo: Pau snags first postseason win
3. Duncan's Trey Keeps Spurs Afloat When the ball landed in Tim Duncan's hands with three ticks to go in overtime, it was sink or swim for San Antonio. Down by three, the Virgin Islands native nailed a shot from downtown to keep the reigning champs afloat. “He was the third option. You can imagine my horror when it went his direction.” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said to the East Valley Tribune. Following Game 1, Popovich was able to breath easy as his team went home with a 116-115 victory. As for the three-point stud, he finished the night with a game-high 40 points and 15 rebounds, adding to the evidence that proves he is one of the best in the business.
4. Tony Parker Shows No FearOff the court Tony Parker definitely has game (a la Eva Longoria Parker). On Wednesday night it was no different on the court, as the French native showed his skills, logging a spectacular 32 points. Getting to the rim time and time again off the break, San Antonio gave Phoenix a taste of their own medicine with a high-paced running game. The Spurs' point guard shot 13-of-26 from the field, scoring many of his points in the paint as he displayed a no-fear attitude. After helping the reigning champs snatch a Game 2,102-96 victory, the Spurs' point guard explained to HOOPSWORLD , "I'm going to be aggressive regardless. That's my mind-set right now. I'm trying to be in attack mode." In other words…"Ballers beware!"
5.Calderon: A Star but Not a StarterYou don't have to start to be a star (see: Ginobili, Manu). Jose Calderon logged 18 points and a game-high 13 dimes en route to Toronto's 108-94 victory, cutting the Magic's lead in the series to 2-1. While T.J. Ford did a tremendous job at the point in the starting role, the Spanish import made sure his team didn't skip a beat when he stepped onto the floor. On fire at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday night, Calderon nailed 6-of-11 shots from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point land. With the win crucial to Toronto's playoff existence, the Raptors have the backcourt to thank as Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy told the AP, "Right from the get-go, the Raptors were outstanding. Their point guard play was phenomenal and probably the key to the game for them.''
Photo: Calderon is key in victory
6. SuperManu Scores Winning BasketSuperManu has shown up for the 2008 Playoffs. After teammate Tim Duncan scored a game-tying three to send Game 1 of the Phoenix-San Antonio First Round series to a second overtime period, San Antonio still had the tough task of outshining the Suns. With neither team letting up, the game came down to the wire. Tied at 115 with 1.8 seconds to go in double-overtime, the recipient of the Sixth Man of the Year award made a driving layup to give the reigning champs a 117-115 victory over Phoenix. The Spurs' regular season leading scorer didn't take a break in Game 2, forcing the Suns to pick their poison as Ginobili registered 29 points while teammate Tony Parker had a team-high 32 points and The Big Fundamental chipped in 18. Overwhelmed by the Spurs firepower, the Suns dropped Game 2, 102-96.
7. Horford Shines in LossPlaying beyond his years, rookie Al Horford demonstrated poise as he led the Hawks in their 104-81 Game 1 loss to the Celtics. While the former Gator is accustomed to winning in the postseason, he found no such luck on Sunday night. However he did play to impress as he logged a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. As the team's energy player and young leader, coach Mike Woodson proudly said of the Hawks' big man to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, " He was unbelievable. He played like he has been playing playoffs all season."
8. Vajerao Recognized for Post Play LeBron James registered 30 points and received much of the attention in the Cavs Game 2, 116-86 victory over the Wizards. Despite The Chosen One's impressive postseason performance, no one could overlook Anderson Varejao's spectacular play in the paint. In the third quarter with Cleveland up by 20, the Brazilian native received a pass from Ben Wallace and collected two points off a reverse layup. The reserve finished with seven points and eight rebounds on the night. Recognized for his play in the post, the forward received the Haier Play of the Day honor.
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Varejao: Haier Play of the Day
9. Okur Dominates in the Paint Middle children often crave attention and make a spectacle of themselves to get noticed. Do men who play in the middle show the same symptoms? Mehmet Okur did Wednesday night. Maybe not for the same reasons as an alienated middle child, but Utah will take it either way, as the center boasted 16 points and 16 boards en route to the Jazz's 90-84 victory. With Yao Ming out, the native of Turkey exposed Houston's weakness and dominated in the paint. Utah's coach Sloan hoped after Game 2 that Okur would keep it coming because, he explained to the , "I don't think in any way that this is over. If we don't step up, they'll win."
10. Hedo Comes Through For Magic For the Magic's opponents, Hedo Turkoglu's play is as frustrating as a broken record. Over and over this season, the Turkish import has come through with clutch plays down the stretch to give Orlando the lift they needed to win games. Wednesday was no different for the 6-10 forward. With 30.3 seconds left, he found the basket with a layup to put Orlando ahead once and for all. Following the play, Toronto was down 102-101 and consequently forced to foul. Turkoglu sealed the deal for his squad as he drained two crucial shots from the charity stripe with 18.7 seconds remaining. The Magic triumphed 104-103. Relieved to have made the necessary baskets, Turkoglu told the Orlando Sentinel, "I had to take it the hole. I knew Dwight was there if I miss. I'm glad that I made it."
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