Nike Basketball News

The Collection: Manu Ginobili Player Edition Closer IV

tonyhellberg1 — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:12:21 GMT

Winning windows close in a flurry.

The crowd rises up; the clock ticks down.

Defenses stiffen, pressing and trapping, clutching and grabbing.

The goal: keep the go-ahead shot taker from becoming a game-winning shot maker.

But slashers like Manu Ginobili plant their foot on the throat of defeat with lateral sidewall wrap-ups created for optimum protection on the hardest of cuts.

The Manu Ginobili Player Edition Closer IV is also lightweight: cutting off his Euro Step drive in favor of a step-back three is just taking this sniper’s bait.

The Family: Versus

Hotnix — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:05:29 GMT

The Lakers are seven games ahead of their closest competition in the conference, but as unstoppable as they may seem, recent losses to Phoenix, Denver and Portland show they still have some work to do before they face the Spurs Thursday.

L.A. has had a phenomenal season. Coming off a devastating Finals loss to Boston last season, the reigning MVP Kobe Bryant and February's Player of the Month Pau Gasol are leading their team to 50W-13L, the best record in the league. Recently they've suffered some unexpected losses to teams that aren't as seasoned or deep, casting a shadow over their seemingly guaranteed spot in the Finals. With Kobe's 28 point average, Gasol's 18.4 points a game and the best bench in the game, they're fighting to keep fewer losses than Boston and stay miles ahead of the competition.

Since 1999, The Spurs have been a constant figure at the top of their division, winning six titles and 4 league championships in 10 years. As their veteran center continues to dominate on offense and defense while Tony Parker averages 21 points and 6.7 rebounds, they remain a threat to the Lakers success. But after a rocky start to the season due to injuries, and with the league's reigning Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili out, can the 42-20 Spurs close the gap on L.A.?

How much longer can L.A. keep the San Antonio at bay? Thursday night, the two teams collide for the Western conference.

It gets wild in the west starting Thursday at 8:00pm.

NBA Regular Season

Tuesday, March 10

Memphis vs. L.A. Lakers @ 10:30pm ET

Wednesday, March 11

Houston vs. Utah vs. 9:00pm ET

Thursday, March 12

L.A. Lakers vs. San Antonio @ 8:00pm ET

Friday, March 13

Cleveland vs. Boston @ 8:00pm ET

Saturday, March 14

Detroit vs. Atlanta @ 7:00pm ET

Sunday, March 15

Orlando vs. Boston @ 1:00pm ET

The Family: Versus

Hotnix — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:00:11 GMT

The battle for Kings of the Lone Star State is heating up this season as Dallas, ranked #7 in the Western conference, faces off Tuesday night against the #8 San Antonio Spurs.

As a regular contender for the West's top team, recent injuries have plagued the San Antonio Spurs' key players this season. But things are turning around as their go-to guys start to get healthy again. Manu Ginobili, coming off of ankle and heel surgery that benched him for their first 12 games, made his return November 24th. Averaging 13.6 points per game, he's led them to victory in 5 of their last 7 games.

After lighting up Minnesota for 55 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds in a double-overtime victory November 5th, Tony Parker was benched for several weeks with an ankle sprain. But since his return November 28th, he's brought fire back to the squad while averaging 22.9 points and 6.4 rebounds.

The Maverick's are finding an early groove, winning 9 of their past 10 games. Dirk Nowitzki continues to lead the squad with his unstoppable inside and outside attack. After serving Phoenix with a 39 point game December 4th (his second for the season) he's ranked forth in the league in scoring.

NBA Regular Season

Tuesday, December 9

San Antonio vs. Dallas @ 8:30pm ET

Wednesday, December 10

Phoenix vs. L.A. Lakers @ 10:30pm ET

Thursday, December 11

Portland vs. Utah @ 10:30pm ET

Friday, December 5

Philadelphia vs. Cleveland @ 7:30pm ET

Saturday, December 6

Cleveland vs. Atlanta @ 7:00pm ET

Blogging the Journey: Manu Ginobili

Hotnix — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:01:47 GMT

Team DNA: They proved at the last Olympics that they can achieve the impossible. So where do they go from here?

I grew up in Argentina. Inside that soccer-crazy country, there’s one small basketball-crazy city with a lot of history related to hoops. That’s where I grew up, and with a crazy-about-basketball father, too. My whole family was always oriented toward basketball, my two older brothers played growing up, and you always want to be like your older brothers. And when we were kids, I dreamed about playing on the national team.

This year, we have many strengths. We know each other really well, probably better than anybody. We’ve won together before, that experience is really important. We like being with each other. And there’s this sense of team unity that I haven’t seen in many other teams. Now we’re much more experienced, and even though we don’t have the same young legs we had four or six years ago, the experience will always be good.

Our biggest challenge is to maintain the level we reached with the last three competitions, and to get a medal. It doesn’t matter what color it is. We’re getting older, so it’s not the same as eight years ago, but we still have a great shot. We’ve got a great team. Of course, we’re going to face some very talented teams – the US, Spain, and others – but it’s going to be a great challenge. In the end, the most important thing is to enjoy and compete in these Olympics.

More on Manu
Read his Bio »

More on Team USA
See all Team USA Blogs »
Check out the Olympic Histories »
Meet the Competition »

Blogging the Journey: Manu Ginobili

Hotnix — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:24:48 GMT

What’s at Stake: He’s going with a gold medal around his neck and the hopes of an entire country on his shoulders. Manu talks about what this year’s Games mean to him.

There was an unbelievable generation of basketball players in my city, back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, that really made people want to follow basketball. And my father was one of them. He’s always been very passionate about it and he runs a small club in my city where I always played. So I basically grew up playing basketball, dribbling a ball, being close to a basketball floor. That really helped me develop the passion for the game, and my brothers, too. The whole family was very hoops-oriented.

When we were kids growing up, I could’ve dreamed about playing on the national team, but the Argentina national team was never favored to make it to even the semi-finals. So if you told me ten years ago that I would have a gold medal in Athens, I would think it impossible.

The Olympics is about the pure sport, the passion of representing a country and all that carries. I take the NBA Championships as a huge accomplishment, but more on the professional side. I was representing a city I’d never been to before the NBA, which of course now I love, but representing your country, your colors, having 30 million people cheering for you, it’s a whole different ball game.

The biggest expectation this summer is to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Athens. That was my first Olympics, and especially since we won the gold, the whole experience was unbelievable. So I’m going to enjoy the environment, being in that huge party that is the Olympics, and go for the gold again. It’s going to be a great challenge.

More on Manu
Read his Bio »

More on Team USA
See all Team USA Blogs »
Check out the Olympic Histories »
Meet the Competition »

The Competition: Manu Ginobili

GHarty — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:49:06 GMT

In 2004, Manu Ginobili became an icon by leading Argentina to their first basketball gold medal. Can he do it again four years later?

It all goes back to Bahia Blanca, Argentina. That’s where Emanuel Ginobili first learned the game, starting on his quest to become his country’s greatest basketball player of all time.

Basketball was all around Manu from an early age. His father was a coach, and his brothers played in the pros. With such tough competition under one roof, Manu developed quickly and earned a spot with his local ball club. After a few years there, he headed to Europe to improve his game against tougher international competition.

In Italy, he quickly proved himself one of the top players in Europe. His deadly outside shot, combined with a fearless first step, made him almost impossible to guard. He drove the lane with abandon and backed down from no one.

San Antonio was so impressed by what they saw that they drafted him in 1999. But he had other things to do first; only after three more seasons in Europe, the 2001 Italian Championship, two Italian Cups, three All-Star appearances and the Italian and Euroleague MVP awards, did he finally join the Spurs.

Once in San Antonio, he quickly developed a reputation in the NBA as a clutch player. In the 2003 Playoffs, his work off the bench helped the Spurs win the championship. And the 2004-05 season gave him another opportunity to catch fire, where he earned an All-Star slot and went on to average 20.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the postseason. After two more NBA championships in 2005 and 2007, he was awarded the 6th Man of the Year title in 2008.

But of all his awards and titles, none rallied his people as much as the gold medal he won in Athens. It was during the 2004 Summer Games that he cemented his place in the hearts of Argentineans. On opening day of the Games, Manu lit up the tournament by hitting a buzzer beater to defeat Serbia, and the crowd went wild.

But it wasn’t until Argentina faced Team USA in the semifinals that he truly shone, where the world saw him produce one of his finest games on any stage. Behind by 29 points, Argentina came back to defeat the Americans 89-81 in an epic encounter, giving Team USA their third loss in history. Days later, Manu and his team defeated Italy, giving them the gold. The tournament was not only Argentina’s finest achievement, it was Manu’s as well; he scored over 19 points a game and walked away with the MVP award.

Almost overnight, Manu had become a national hero, eager to return to the place it all began.

"I want to cry and at the same time I want to laugh. I can't wait to go back to Argentina and see the joy on the face of our people," said Ginobili.

The 2008 Summer Games in Beijing will be a tougher challenge for Argentina. No longer the underdog, every strong team is out to dethrone the champs – Team USA especially. In Beijing, Manu will face some of his greatest American rivals, all out for blood. But he and his fellow Argentineans are ready to fight, to prove that their win was no fluke, and to do it all again in 2008.

More on Team USA
See all Competition Bio’s »
Check out the Olympic Histories »

This Is Our Game: The Fall

Hotnix — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:37:19 GMT

This is Our Game explores the rich tradition of the U.S. National Teams, uncovering the victories, defeats, and rivalries of the last seven decades. In Part Four of the series, Team USA gets the biggest wake-up call in history.

2000-2006

The Dream Team changed the game in 1992. The world responded in 2000.

After the Dream Team's exciting victories in 1992 and 1996, basketball's popularity exploded around the world. Players and teams from everywhere – Argentina, Lithuania, Russia and Spain – developed their own unique styles. It wasn’t unusual to see 7 footers shooting threes or offensive possessions where the ball was passed ten times before a shot was taken.

The world wasn’t just trying to catch up with Team USA. They, too, were trying to change the game.

At the 2000 Games in Sydney, the U.S. team took home the gold, but a closer look showed cracks in their game. They no longer beat opponents by 40 or more points, but faced some very close calls. Lithuania lost to them by only nine points – the first time Team USA won by less than double digits. Playing Lithuania again in the semis, they squeaked by with a 2 point win. They went on to beat France for the gold, but it was clear they were no longer the team to fear.

When the 2004 Athens Games came around, people expected more of the same winning ways.
But for too long, the international competition had been playing as unified teams while the U.S. pro team was a collection of 12 great individual talents. That year, it was that solid team play, that on-court chemistry that beat out America's raw talent.

In the very first game of the tournament, Puerto Rico gave Team USA the biggest wake-up call in history: a 19-point loss. Another loss came to Lithuania in the prelims and the final nail in the coffin was a semifinal loss to Argentina, the current reigning world champs. After suffering a string of embarrassing defeats, the U.S. realized something needed to change if it wanted to regain the gold.

There was only one man to lead the charge.

In 2005, the legendary Coach K was brought in to not just coach, but to start a program that would rebuild a team from scratch. After wrapping up the season with Duke University, he assembled a team for the 2006 World Championships.

The new Team USA wasn't used to working together and the players were hampered by injuries, resulting in a 101-95 loss to Greece in the semifinals. Though they didn't win the top prize, there were signs that they were back on the right path. They won most of their games by 25 points or more, and defeated the defending world champions to win the bronze.

As the 2008 Summer Games approached, Coach K’s next mission was to prepare Team USA for the battle to earn their spot in Beijing. With players dedicating three years to the development of the team and more time for training camp, entered the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament ready to prove regain the throne.

More on Team USA
Meet the men on this year's Team USA »
Meet the women on this year's Team USA »