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FIBA- ROAD TO TURKEY| USA's Bryant back to old self after return from injury
On that day of 23rd August, Spain rallied back in the fourth quarter and got within striking distance in the closing minutes, only for Bryant to complete a timely four-point play that pretty much put an end to the Spaniards’ hopes of a gold medal. Tuesday night’s loss saw the Grizzlies drop their third game out of five since the season resumed following the All-Star break. OJ Mayo, a member of the 27-man squad that will represent the USA in international competitions over the next three years, missed a pair of free-throws with 18.8 seconds to play, setting the stage for Bryant’s late heroics. “I’d love to take those last two free-throws again and make them,” said the Grizzlies guard, who also missed a long jumper at the buzzer that could have given him some redemption. Revenge might have been a motivating factor for Bryant. When these two teams last faced each other at the start of the month, he surpassed Jerry West to become the Lakers all-time leading scorer, but the occasion was made bittersweet by the fact that the defending champions lost the game 95-93. Rudy Gay, another member of the USA’s squad, hit a three-pointer to put the Grizzlies ahead with under 30 seconds remaining and it would prove to be enough. The Lakers had a last chance to win, but Bryant was hounded and forced to pass the ball to Ron Artest, who missed from the corner as time expired. The 12-time All-Star was not deferring on Tuesday. With the Lakers down 95-90 with three minutes remaining – and having missed five free-throws in a row - Bryant took matters into his own hands, leading up to his winning shot.
France guard Nando de Colo was named player of the week in Spain's ACB after a breakout performance on Saturday. The 22-year-old playmaker scored 29 points in 29 minutes of play to lead Power Electronics Valencia to an 87-67 win over CB Granada.With the win, Neven Spahija's side improve to 14-7 to lie in fourth place behind Regal F.C Barcelona, Caja Laboral and Real Madrid. De Colo made eight of 10 field goal attempts from two-point range, buried three of four tries from three-point territory and sank all four of his free-throws and displayed the full extent of his versatility by adding five assists, three rebounds and three steals. The 6ft 5in guard, a key player off France's bench at last year's EuroBasket tournament in Poland, is averaging 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 19 games so far this season. FIBA USA
– Colangelo emphasizes importance of FIBA World Championship
to Team USA
“I said, 'Because the way I see it, we've only done half our job.' We won the gold medal, (but) the rest of the world puts great emphasis on the World Championship - in many countries moreso than the Olympics. We need to go to the World Championship and finish the other part of our job, in other words to give them something else to look forward to before the next Olympics. “That's the concept. That's what we're trying to accomplish. And we're hopefully going to build on that this summer before we embark on Istanbul, Turkey.” In Istanbul, Team USA will take on Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia, Iran and Tunisia in the Preliminary Round. One player who looks certain to make the team is Oklahoma City’s third-year forward Kevin Durant. "It's funny,” Colangelo said. “The more experience you get, the better you get if you have the talent and passion and heart for it, but Durant kind of has separated himself. “If you look at his numbers and what he brings to the table. You know, he came close to making it last time as a kid, so without over-killing this thing, I would just say that I'm almost certain Durant will be part of our next squad regardless of who else is on it.”
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MEMPHIS
(2010 FIBA World Championship for Men) – Team USA star Kobe
Bryant returned to the Los Angeles Lakers line-up after missing
five games through injury and he was back to his old self, hitting
clutch baskets down the stretch including a go-ahead three-pointer
in the dying seconds for a 99-98 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Bryant,
who hadn’t played since 5th February because of a left ankle
injury, showed no sign of rust as he went for 32 points and accounted
for the visiting team’s last nine points, the last three of
which came with 4.3 seconds left to play. “It’s
my responsibility to make plays down the stretch. I enjoy it,”
Bryant said. Few
know that better than his team-mate Pau Gasol as well as Pau’s
brother and Grizzlies centre Marc. Bryant’s winning basket
might have brought back memories of the 2008 Olympic Games final
for the two Gasols.
FRANCE
- De Colo claims ACB weekly honour
"We're
happy about (winning the gold), but to some degree the important
thing now is to carry on, to go forward, to continue doing what
needs to be done to maintain, to defend, to continue to do it with
class and dignity and continue to show that humility and respect
for the rest of the basketball world,” Colangelo said to the
Sacramento Bee. “That's why I emphasize the importance of
the World Championship this summer in Turkey as being a big thing.
"In fact, when I met with the players at last year's All-Star
game, I said, 'Look here's the plan. Here's what I want to get done,
(but) you tell me how you feel,' and they all said they wanted to
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