The Global Top 10 is your weekly guide to NBA global news. In this week's edition find out who took an unusual path to the NBA, who was awarded Europe's best basketball player and who is back in uniform after a five-game hiatus.
Parker Receives European Award
After 100 writers, coaches and players from 28 nations casted their votes, it is official, the Spurs'
Tony Parker is the recipient of the 29th annual European Player of the Year Award. The award honors Europe's best basketball player of 2007. Sponsored by the Italian newspaper
La Gazetta, the French guard was chosen above the Mavs'
Dirk Nowitzki and the Jazz's
Andrei Kirilenko. Proving to be worthy of the honor, Parker scored a game-high 26 points to help the Spurs defeat the Clippers 88-82 Sunday night in Los Angeles. "
1. Parker Receives Award in Europe
After 100 writers, coaches and players from 28 nations casted their votes, it is official, the Spurs'
Tony Parker is the recipient of the 29th annual European Player of the Year Award. The award honors Europe's best basketball player of 2007. Sponsored by the Italian newspaper
La Gazetta, the French guard was chosen above the Mavs'
Dirk Nowitzki and the Jazz's
Andrei Kirilenko. Proving to be worthy of the honor, Parker scored a game-high 26 points to help the Spurs defeat the Clippers 88-82 Sunday night in Los Angeles.
2. Gasol: Crucial Down the Stretch
Tied at 92 with 1:57 left in regulation,
Pau Gasol got to the basket giving the Grizzlies the lead late in the game. Gasol was crucial to Memphis in its 101-94 win over the Heat, as the Spanish import registered a double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Handing Miami their seventh straight loss, Memphis' forward explained to the
AP, "That's a big difference for us, when it comes down to the end of the game to make plays and make sure we get the win at home."
3. Ginobili Back in Uniform
Absent for five games as a result of a sprained finger,
Manu Ginobili returned to the court Sunday night when the Spurs defeated the Clippers 88-82. Back in uniform, the Argentinean provided a spark off the bench as he usually does, scoring 23 points in 29 minutes. Happy that the sixth man was back in action, teammate
Tim Duncan told
All Headline News, "He's a great guy to make things happen and find open shots for people. And we missed that the last few games."
4. Yao Ming, Tall and Talented
At 7-6
Yao Ming is not only the tallest active NBA player but also one of the most dominant centers in the league. Sans All-Star
Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming flexed his muscle against the New York Knicks Saturday night in Houston. Challenging the Knicks' center
Eddy Curry, Yao Ming registered 30 points, eight boards and six dimes and held the former fourth pick to 16 points, six rebounds and one assist. With the game-high 30 points Yao led the Rockets to a 103-91 victory over the Knickerbockers. His adversary, Eddy Curry, explained to
Newsday,
"He's (Yao) a tall guy, tall and talented."
Hoping to be more prepared for Mr. Tall and Talented, the Knicks took on the Rockets again on Wednesday night in New York. But for the second time in one week the Chinese import was too much to handle as he registered a double-double with 36 points and 11 rebounds. After Houston defeated New York at the Garden 101-92, Knicks' coach Isiah Thomas told the New York Times, “He was so good tonight that we didn’t have any answers. When we did double-team him, he found the open man. When we didn’t double-team him, he made us pay.”
5. Nocioni: Starting and Scoring
Scoring a game-high 26 points, double his season average,
Andres Nocioni was inked in the starting lineup in Saturday's game against the Kings. With teammate
Luol Deng suffering from left Achilles' tendonitis, the Argentinean stepped up for the handicapped squad. Prior to the 26-point performance Nocioni averaged a scant 8.7 points in the previous nine games. So what was the difference? The Bulls forward revealed to the
Chicago Tribune , "My problem has been because I miss a lot of shots, I've been hesitating. [Saturday] I came with my mind ready to take the open shot with confidence. Sometimes the problem is I think too much about my shot." The confident Bull led his squad to a 94-93 victory over Sacramento.
6. Varejao the Playmaker
Coming off the bench and scoring in the double-digits with 11 points,
Anderson Varejao is a playmaker for the Cavaliers. Early on in the second quarter of the Cavs 97-93 victory over the Kings the Brazilian-native dished the ball behind his back to
Devin Brown for the one-handed jam. For his fancy feed, the Cavs' sixth man received the Assist of the Night honor. .
Video:
Check out Varejao's dish to Devin Brown
7. Wall Street Journal Discusses NBA China
Having already established a community of passionate and dedicated NBA fans in China, the league has decided to further expand its business to include the populated region. The NBA intends to collaborate with an already existing state-run league, the Chinese Basketball Association. Considered one of the most innovative and courageous venture of any U.S. sports entity, the
Wall Street Journal discussed in a recent article what challenges the league will encounter, how they plan to approach the obstacles they face as well as who else will be involved in their attempt to successfully implement a stronger NBA presence in China.
8. Nene Challenges Suns
Draining an impressive 20 treys on the night, Phoenix tied their franchise record for three pointers made in a single game en route to their 137-115 victory over the Nuggets. Shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 64.5 percent from downtown, the Suns left Denver feeling a nasty burn. Denver coach George Karl told the
Denver Post, "They got happy, they got cocky and they rubbed our face in the game a little bit. It will be fun the next time we play them." Despite the brutal beating, the Nuggets'
Nene managed to amass 12 points and 9 boards on the night. Challenging the Suns' defense, Nene schooled
Amare Stoudemire during his one-handed jam that earned him the Dunk of the Night honor.
Video:
Nene Has Dunk of the Night
Photo: Nene uses his defensive skills
Photo: Nene rejects a Sun
9. Azubuike's Amazing Journey
Kelenna Azubuike is currently averaging 10.7 points and 25.9 minutes. Unlike many of his Golden State teammates who entered the NBA through The Draft, Azubuike took a road less traveled. Undrafted in 2005, the former Wildcat caught on in the D-League. Azubuike explained to NBA TV, "I just tried to go down there with a good attitude, even though I was still kind of discouraged. I kept staying focused and I stayed confident." Now the London-born athlete is thriving in the NBA as a spark off the bench for the Golden State Warriors. NBA TV caught up with Golden State's reserve to discuss his journey to the NBA and how it has helped shape him as both an athlete and a person.
Video:
Azubuike's Amazing Journey
10. Navarro Keeps Grizzlies in Game
These days simply making the 29-4 Boston Celtics work up a sweat is impressive. Last Friday Memphis took on Boston's big three at the TD Bank North Garden. Draining threes in the fourth helped Memphis tighten the gap as they trailed 78-73 early in the fourth. Scoring eight points in the final minute the 27 year-old rookie,
Juan Carlos Navarro, helped Memphis pull with in four. The Celtics, however, held on for a 100-96 victory over the Grizzlies. Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni told the
Memphis Commercial Appeal, "I like the way our guys hung in there. ...We just couldn't come up with the loose balls here and there and that was really the story for the game at the end."
Photo:
Michael Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro celebrate Elvis' birthday
NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad
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