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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Articles Indianapolis
stars
1. Dirk Nowitzki, Germany - 24.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.0 bpg, 1.2 spg, 40.2 FG% If someone is to be held responsible for Germany's first ever medal in the World Championship, that is obviously Dirk Nowitzki. Coming off an ankle surgery, the 7-0 Mavs forward was the top scorer in the tournament and ranked top 5 in rebounds and blocks. Unsurprisingly, he was named MVP. 2. Predrag Stojakovic, Yugoslavia - 18.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 44.6 FG% After all, the Yugoslav squad was more dependent on Peja than it appeared to be. With NBAers like Drobnjak and Radmanovic out of the team and subpar performances by Vlade Divac and Dejan Tomasevic, the Yugoslavs really needed Peja to do his best. And he did. Stojakovic led the World Champions in points, rebounds, steals and almost in assists, too. His shooting percentages were not impressive -he took that turnaround jumper more often than he should-, but looked great overall. 3. Emanuel Ginobili, Argentina - 14.1 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.4 rpg, 2.1 spg, 48.5 FG% Emanuel Ginobili, an off-guard, shot 3-of-28 from beyond the arc in the tournament and yet managed to dominate most games. The Argentine was one of the greatest shows in Indianapolis with an slashing, run-and-jump style that was also one of the biggest assets of his squad. Hadn't he sprained his ankle in the semifinals, "Manu" could have been named MVP of the tournament. Played some minutes in the final game, but was unable to contribute. 4. Pau Gasol, Spain - 19.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.2 bpg, 2.2 spg, 58.8 FG% Impressive as he was in most games, Gasol didn't make the impact he had last season in the European Championship. You can blame it on his physical problems or the constant double-teams. But you can also blame it on the fact that his game appears to be more unidimensional now than it was one year ago. There is no doubt he has vastly improved on the defensive end -you can ask Okur, Divac or Drobnjak-, but you can't say the same about his shooting mechanic or skills facing the basket. Most of his points came from dunks when receiving the ball near the basket. He proved virtually unstoppable there. 5. Paul Pierce, USA - 19.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 47.7 FG% The American team never really played as a team. There were too many isolated plays and not much passing game. Paul Pierce was the most brilliant in this context. He was the best player in the first easy wins and the late big losses. 6. Yao Ming, China - 21.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.3 bpg, 75.3 FG% The first overall
pick in the last NBA Draft managed to put up big numbers despite the absence
of guards able to provide him with enough touches per game. Yao completely
abused the African teams (65 points and 28 rebounds vs. Algeria and Angola)
and looked pretty good when facing more competitive squads. He may not
be a great rebounder in the NBA, but has the offensive skills to contribute
right away in Houston.
That turnaround jumper is worth millions. 7. Carlos Arroyo, Puerto Rico - 11.6 ppg, 6.4 apg, 4.4 rpg, 41.4 FG% Arroyo helped himself like very few others in this World Championship and will probably get a guaranteed contract somewhere in the NBA this season after his performance in Indianapolis. The Puerto Rican ranked first in assists and became the best point guard in the tournament despite struggling a bit with his jumper. He was the most outstanding player on the floor in games against Yugoslavia, Spain and USA, which may tell you something about how well he played. 8. Fabricio Oberto, Argentina - 13.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 71.2 FG% Completely embarrassed Vlade Divac and Dejan Tomasevic in the final game with a variety of moves in the low post. He was a defensive stalwart for his team all through the tournament. 9. Dejan Bodiroga, Yugoslavia - 12.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 54.5 FG% The MVP of the final. Scored nine consecutive points in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and gave Yugoslavia life back. He's been doing this kind of things for about a decade in Europe. You can hardly stop him one-on-one. He could have signed with the Houston Rockets or the Toronto Raptors this summer, but once again decided to stay overseas. 10. Mehmet Okur, Turkey - 17.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 55.0 FG% Yes, he couldn't held
his ground defensively against players like "Piculin" Ortiz
and couldn't find a way to score when facing others like Pau Gasol. But
Mehmet Okur was the best player on his team by far when it mattered. He
is a fake master, has great shooting touch and has really improved ever
since he was drafted by the Detroit
Pistons last summer. His offensive game appears to be suited
for the NBA. Jorge Sierra is the editor of HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this article. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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