Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio has is becoming a cult hero in Minnesota. (GETTY IMAGES)

Prince is without a doubt Minnesota’s favorite son. But Ricky Rubio is fast becoming Minnesota’s favorite adopted son.

Timberwolves All-Star forward Kevin Love – now in his fourth year in the NBA – says there is an electric atmosphere around the Target Center this season. Minnesota, which had been in the dark ages the past four years after Kevin Garnett left for Beantown, now has something to get excited about with the arrival of Ricky Rubio. Wolves fans are going absolutely crazy for the Spanish sensation, much like the way the world was going gaga over Prince when he unleashed “Purple Rain.”

The Timberwolves selected Rubio with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, and basketball pundits thought general manager David Kahn and the Wolves front office were crazy for drafting a guy who wanted to play two more years in Europe. Well, two years later, it was definitely worth the wait. Who’s going crazy now?

The 21-year-old Rubio has injected a ton of energy into the listless franchise with his brilliant play-making ability, even though the T-Wolves have managed just one win in their first four games. But all three losses were by four points or less and they could easily be 4-0.

In his NBA debut, Rubio had six points, five rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes off the bench. The stats were pedestrian but it was the way he delivered the passes that drew “ooohs!” and “aaahs!” from the Target Center crowd. And it wasn’t just T-Wolves fans who were brought out of their seats by Rubio’s no-look bounce passes. Miami Heat star LeBron James posted on Twitter: “Rubio can pass that rock!”

LeBron and Co. got a firsthand look at Rubio’s passing skills on Dec. 30 when the Heat visited the Target Center. Rubio was on target that night, finishing with 12 assists and 12 points. Miami is a proud defensive team, and Rubio was able to dissect Erik Spoelstra’s well-constructed scheme like a seasoned pro. After the game Heat star Dwyane Wade said the future looks bright for Minnesota with Rubio and Love at the helm, and the Heat were lucky to come out with a 103-101 win.

Whenever Rubio enters the game, he sparks his team and ignites the crowd. That was evident on New Year’s Day against defending champion Dallas when Rubio helped engineer a Tebow-esque second-half surge that led to Minnesota’s first win of the 66-game season.

“I’ve played a lot of games at Target Center, but this is the most electric it has been. We have a pretty electric group that’s playing together, whether it’s Ricky [Rubio] or Derrick [Williams] or the new guys,” said Love, who was equally spectacular against the Mavericks with 25 points, 17 rebounds and 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point line.

As good as Love was the Wolves couldn’t have pulled out the win over Dallas if not for the steady hand of Rubio, who scored 12 of Minnesota’s 15 points during a critical five-minute stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters. The scouting report on Rubio is that he can’t shoot a lick, but he dismissed that by draining two 3-pointers. He also scored on a pair of dribble drives, the last one giving the T-Wolves an 82-72 lead at the nine-minute mark that essential put the game away.

“He has meant a lot,” Love said about Rubio. “Obviously he comes here with a lot of notoriety coming from Spain. He brings a big following. He’s fun to watch, fun to play with and a pleasure to be around because he enjoys the game so much. Even in practice he brings it.”

Even though Rubio is classified as an NBA rookie he’s technically a seven-year veteran, having signed his first pro basketball contract in Europe when he was 14 years old. He has played in the Olympics, European finals and FIBA world championships so he’s not afraid of the big stage. Minnesota coach Rick Adelman has been using Rubio off the bench, but if the Timberwolves are going to move forward Adelman needs to scrap the Luke Ridnour timeshare, start The Kid and let him go crazy.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Utah Jazz forward and Russian national team standout Andrei Kirilenko (right) is making a huge impact in the Euroleague for CSKA Moscow. (REUTERS)

If not for the NBA lockout, Andrei Kirilenko would be in the United States preparing for his 11th season with the Utah Jazz. But with the NBA calendar wiped out through the month of November and labor negotiations continue to drag on, Kirilenko and other pros have made the trek to Europe to regain their fame and grab a little fortune as well.

The biggest beneficiary of Kirilenko’s European arrival has been CSKA Moscow. The top team in Russia currently is undefeated in the Euroleague standings and as long as the lockout persists, meaning Kirilenko will stay on the team, CSKA could have the most talented team in Europe.

With Kirilenko (nicknamed AK47) back in the CSKA starting lineup where his pro career began to blossom, CSKA is extremely long and athletic. The club also boasts Boston Celtics center Nenad Krstic, former Euroleague MVP Milos Teodosic, former Chicago Bulls forward Viktor Khryapa, and highly touted guard Alexey Shved.

Kirilenko and Khryapa are 6-foot-9 forwards, while Krstic is listed at 7 feet. In the backcourt, CSKA features Shved and Teodosic, who captured Euroleague’s top honor in 2010 and that same year was named to the FIBA World Championship all-tournament team while playing for Serbia. Teodosic can play point or shooting guard, while Shved is a 6-6, 22-year-old phenom who has been compared to Penny Hardaway. Watch his alley-oop dunk in EuroBasket 2011 against Finland off a feed from Khryapa.

Want more length? How about a couple of 6-11 centers in Darjus Lavrinovic and Sasha Kaun and 6-9 Andrey Vorontsevich. Kaun won a national championship at Kansas in 2008 and is only 26, while Lavrinovic, 31, was signed by CSKA in the summer after spending one season with Fenerbahce Ulker in the Turkish League. Vorontsevich is a member of the Russian national team who had 13 points in a 94-74 win over Brose Baskets.

Former Mississippi State standout Jamont Gordon, who signed with CSKA last year after a stint with Cibona Zagreb, gives CSKA another capable scorer in the backcourt. Forward Ramunas Siskauskas is a talented 6-6 forward who is averaging 11 points per game in three VTB United League games.

The terms of Kirilenko’s contract with CSKA is a three-year deal with an option to return to the NBA as soon as the lockout is over. So, as long as the NBA season is on hold, Kirilenko will remain in Moscow and that’s bad news for the rest of the clubs in the Euroleague.

Deron Williams, the most recognizable NBA player playing overseas during this ridiculous lockout, scored 11 points and had five assists in a recent Turkish league game. Playing for Besiktas, the New Jersey Nets point guard was just 2-for-10 from the field in 23 minutes in a 107-69 victory over Bandirma Kirmizi, one of the least-talented teams in the league.

D-Will’s early performances in Turkey have fallen a little flat. In fact they were so bland they couldn’t get any air time on NBA TV, which was too busy showing reruns of “Teen Wolf” and “One on One.” Besiktas’ game was a blip on the radar because, quite frankly, it was unspectacular and lacked any eye-popping highlights. Williams looked a little out of shape and was even outshined by his Besiktas teammate, Turkish forward Semih Erden (Cleveland Cavaliers), who scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Bandirma.

Marcelus Kemp led Besiktas with 27 points while David Hawkins added 22 points and four assists. Williams is supposed to be the headliner for Besiktas, the same team that signed Allen Iverson. But so far D-Will has taken a backseat to a couple of unknowns.

According to the New York Times, Williams’ salary would be between $200,000 and $350,000 a month, or $2 million to $3.5 million for the 10-month season. The deal also includes a car and housing. He will also be provided with a security guard, driver and personal assistant 24 hours a day. Talk about being pampered! If a European club is willing to do this for a second-tier star like Williams, image how far a club would go to satisfy someone like Kobe Bryant.

Sounds like the 27-year-old Williams (seen in the video below wearing his familiar No. 8 jersey in white) is getting a great deal out of this expensive European vacation, while Besiktas is getting is about half the effort from their big signing. Williams clearly doesn’t want to get hurt playing overseas and won’t take risks. He’ll play this thing like an NBA preseason. Besiktas would have been better off signing Earl Watson.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has been offered $3 million to play 10 games for Virtus Bologna in Italy. (GETTY IMAGES)

Kobe Bryant recently said it would be a dream to play in Italy. Well, that dream could soon become reality as Virtus Bologna says it has reached a verbal agreement with the 33-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar that would pay him $3 million to play 10 games in 40 days in the Italian League.

Assuming the NBA lockout persists, and there is a strong possibility the regular season won’t start on time, playing in Italy is the better option for Bryant. It is not like Kobe is getting a job at an exterior painting company in Vancouver. He’s going into an ideal situation. He can take his daughters on an extended European vacation, take his beautiful wife out shopping in Milan, enjoy some rest and relaxation in Venice, and play basketball on the side. That’s a great gig! Besides, playing in the Italian League is a heck of a lot better than running around the country looking for the next charity league game that hopefully includes some NBA players.

Kobe has already done Rucker Park and the Drew League and he absolutely dominated because, let’s face it, both were glorified scrimmages and the competition bordered on ridiculousness. Kobe loves a challenge and playing in the ultra-competitive environment of the Euroleague would be more beneficial to him than any Mike Brown training camp.

The deal includes a provision that would allow Bryant to return to the Lakers as soon as the lockout is lifted, so that should keep Jerry Buss from falling out of his poker chair. Virtus is trying to convince other Italian League owners to agree to changing the schedule so the deal is far from done, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

Broussard says Virtus – which hasn’t won a league title since 2001 – wants to load up home games in October and host them at larger arenas to accommodate the throngs of fans expected to flood the league from Oct. 9 to Nov. 16 if/when Kobe signs the contract. Broussard also reported that other Italian clubs may jump in and offer Kobe a better deal, so this could turn into a bidding war.

Several NBA players, including J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler, have signed to play overseas and Bucks forward Chris Douglas-Roberts signed with Virtus and is already practicing with the club. But having Kobe Bryant, arguably the most popular athlete in the worth, in the Italian League would be a monumental event. It would be comparable to watching the cast of “Jersey Shore” going an entire week without drinking alcohol and pumping their fists in Florence.

What makes this thing real enticing for Kobe is the fact that he has a soft spot for Italy. He spent the better part of his childhood there, it is place where he first fell in love with the game while watching his father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, and he speaks the language.

”Italy is my home. It’s where my dream of playing in the NBA started. This is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to (move) without the ball,” Bryant recently told Gazzetta dello Sport in fluent Italian. ”All things that when I came back to America the players my age didn’t know how to do because they were only thinking about jumping and dunking.”

Bryant added, “It’s a huge honor for me to return to Italy. It’s home for me. It’s always been a dream for me to play in Italy. We’ve got to wait and see what happens.”

Here are two key issues for Bryant to consider: training camp with the Lakers won’t be the same this year and the season is not likely to start on time. The Lakers now have Mike Brown running the camp, and because of the lockout he won’t have a full training camp to implement his schemes and philosophies, it will be a total cram session. Also, Brown will be hard pressed to change the culture in L.A. in a month because he’s following the great Phil Jackson.

The Lakers ran the triangle offense for a decade and it resulted in five NBA championships. Brown has only been to the NBA Finals once and his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007. There is nothing Brown can tell Kobe that Kobe has not heard before. This union is similar to the situation the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts endured when Jim Caldwell took over for Tony Dungy to coach Peyton Manning. Caldwell may be the coach in title, but the Colts are Manning’s team.

The same scenario for the Lakers. Brown may be the coach, but the Lakers are Kobe’s team. Basically, all Brown will be asked to do is manage Kobe’s minutes, and that is it. Would it surprise anyone if Kobe waved off Brown during the final 10 seconds of game? Not me. In fact, it wouldn’t be a total stretch to see Kobe call an audible and run an old Phil Jackson play instead of a new Mike Brown play.

So, if you are Kobe Bryant, here are your options: slog through an NBA boot camp with a coach who underachieved in Cleveland or spend a month in Italy where he’ll be treated like a god? It’s an easy choice.

Michael Jordan didn’t get the opportunity to play in Europe, so that’s one more reason for Bryant to consider.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him @twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (third from left) joins an already loaded Spanish national team. (FIBA EUROPE)

The final game of the 2011 European Championship turned into a huge block party for Serge Ibaka.

In his first major international competition wearing the colors of the Spanish national team, the 21-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder forward had half of Spain’s 10 blocked shots against France and helped Espana capture the EuroBasket title in Lithuania. Spain and France earned automatic berths for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Ibaka scored just four points in 21 minutes off the bench, but it was his stellar defense that keyed an impressive 98-85 victory for Spain, the second-best team in the world and the biggest threat to the United States next summer. Ibaka completely altered the game with three early monster blocks in the first half that powered Spain to a 36-26 lead.

Barcelona’s Juan Carlos Navarro led the Spaniards with a game-high 27 points. Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker paced France with 26 points.

The addition of the 6-foot-10 Ibaka gives Spain, which already boasts 7-footers Pau and Marc Gasol, the most formidable frontline in the world – even better than whatever the U.S. will put together next year. Ibaka prefers to face-up on offense, and he doesn’t mind giving way to the post to the Gasol brothers.

Ibaka calls Pau Gasol possibly the most talented center with the best fundamentals in the NBA. “It will be a dream to play with him,” Ibaka told the Associated Press back in July.

Flashback to the gold medal game against the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in which Spain struggled to keep up with the Americans athletically, especially when LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony played power forward. With Ibaka on the roster, Spain will no longer have that issue.

Ibaka was granted Spanish nationality in July, clearing the way for him to help Spain defend its European championship. “Spain is a country that has given me a lot,” Ibaka told the Associated Press. “It will be an honor to give Spain back all that it has given me on the court.”

Ibaka was born in the Republic of Congo but played for Spanish clubs for three years before moving to the NBA in 2009. He maintains a residence in Barcelona.

Pau Gasol is the emotional leader of the Spanish national team. (FIBA EUROBASKET)

Pau Gasol took the brunt of the criticism during the 2011 NBA playoffs when the Lakers were swept out of the second round by eventual champion Dallas.

Gasol didn’t play his best during the series, and at one point he appeared so out of it that Lakers coach Phil Jackson was seen chastising his star forward basically telling the Spaniard to snap out of his funk.

Rumors swirled all over the Internet that Gasol was having issues with his girlfriend Silvia Lopez Castro, then it was compounded when teammate Shannon Brown tweeted that he was not having an affair with Pau’s girl (memo to
Shannon Brown: if nothing was going on then why tweet about it?)

L.A. Lakers star Pau Gasol with his girlfriend Silvia Lopez Castro. (GETTY IMAGES)

Gasol is one of the nicest NBA players you will ever meet, and something was clearly bothering him last season. More often than not, Pau wears his emotions on his sleeve and he needs to be highly engaged in order to be effective. So, it is important for Pau to regain his confidence and it starts with European Championships in Lithuanian.

Laker fans are hoping that playing for his country and being with familiar faces should help Gasol’s mental state. Sorta like going back home to your mom’s house for some good old-fashioned home cooking to clear your mind. As a bonus, Pau gets to play with his brother, Marc.

So far, the Gasols are rolling through the competition at the European Championships. With the Gasols in the post and international stars Juan Carlos Navarro and Ricky Rubio in the perimeter, Spain may have the most complete team at EuroBasket 2011.

In Spain’s 77-68 victory over Germany in the second round, the Gasol brothers combined for 43 points (Marc had 24 and Pau had 19) to down Dirk Nowitzki’s squad. Spain’s lone loss in the tournament came against Turkey, which is led by Hedo Turkoglu and Omer Asik.

As long as the Gasol brothers are firing on all cylinders, Spain should capture the gold medal at EuroBasket 2011 (although France and host nation Lithuanian are capable of derailing that plan). The top two teams in the tournament earn automatic berths to the 2012 London Olympics.

Tony Parker leads France to an impressive win over Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in pool play at EuroBasket 2011. (FIBA EUROPE)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker appears to be in midseason form as he poured in 32 points and dished out six assists in leading France to an impressive 76-65 victory over Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in pool play of the 2011 European Championships in Lithuania.

Parker made 11 of 20 shots from the field in 32 minutes, including both of his 3-point attempts. He also converted eight of nine free throws and grabbed four rebounds from his point guard position. Nowitzki led the way for Germany with 20 points.

France improved to 3-0 in Group B, while Germany fell to 2-1. France also defeated Germany in EuroBasket 2009.

Parker, who endured a disappointing first-round exit in the NBA playoffs last spring, currently leads the tournament in scoring with a 28.0 average and is making 59% of his field goals. He is also averaging a tournament-best 7.0 assists per game. Parker was rumored to be on the trading block last season, but if he can stay healthy and play at a high level, it will be very difficult for San Antonio to get rid of him.

The 2007 NBA Finals MVP had some help on the offensive end, as Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah contributed eight points and seven rebounds. France also boasts Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats) and Mickael Gelabale (formerly of the Seattle Sonics but now plays in Belgium), making this year’s French squad a serious contender for the EuroBasket title. The top two teams receive an automatic berth to the 2012 London Olympics.

Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman, arguably Germany’s second-best player, struggled from the field in his much anticipated matchup in the middle against Noah. Kaman made just four of nine shots and netted eight points.

Mike Fratello coaches the Ukrainian men's basketball team in EuroBasket 2011. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Mike Fratello is taking time off from his role as The Czar of the Telestrator on TV in order to fulfill his obligation as coach of Ukraine’s men’s national team.

Fratello, 64, dusts off his coaching clipboard at the 2011 European Championship, which started Aug. 31 in Lithuania and runs through Sept. 18. The Ukrainian Basketball Federation reached an agreement with the former Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies coach earlier this year, a stunning move considering Fratello hasn’t coached since 2007.

But once a coach is always a coach. Kind of like riding a bike, and The Czar should be able to make the adjustment. Besides, there’s absolutely no pressure on Fratello because Ukraine is not expected to medal at EuroBasket 2011.

The idea of Fratello becoming Ukraine’s coach was rooted all the way back during Fratello’s days with the Hawks when he coached Alexander Volkov (then a player on Russian’s national team). Volkov is now the head of Ukraine’s basketball federation and he reached out to his former coach to fill in an all important role for his country’s basketball program.

“He called me up one day and said he needed me to coach his team,” Fratello said on NBA TV back in July. “We kept talking and talking, and somewhere along the way I thought this would be an interesting challenge so I took the opportunity.”

Fratello added that it was a risky move for him because it’s tackling on a new culture and vastly different philosophy from a basketball standpoint. “What worked in the NBA may not work here,” he said. “We may not have the talent [or the athleticism of the NBA], but it’s a much more physical game over here. Very physical. They pass and cut so much harder, and much more ball movement. And you have guys who can make shots. The skill level is much higher than what you thought it would be.”

As for the language barrier? “I made sure to repeat to [the players], if you don’t understand me make sure you let me know and we’ll either say it differently or use one of the assistant coaches or one of the people around us everyday in the gym to break it down or repeat it over again,” Fratello said. “But most of them have done a pretty good job in understanding my language and what I’m trying to say from a basketball standpoint.

“It has been very difficult. You have to simplify things.”

Two players Fratello won’t have to worry about in terms of communication are center Kyrylo Fesenko and point guard Stiven Bertt. Fesenko plays for the Utah Jazz and Bertt is a point guard from New York.

Ukraine is in Group D with Slovenia, Russia, Belgium, Bulgaria and Georgia. Russia, led by Andrei Kirilenko, and Slovenia, led by Goran Dragic, are the top two teams in Group D.

Josh Childress played with the Phoenix Suns last year after a two-year stint in Greece. (GETTY IMAGES)

Josh Childress started his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, but spent two seasons in Europe playing for Olympiacos in Greece before returning to the NBA last season with the Phoenix Suns.

It’s fair to say that Childress is an authority on the Euroleague. Europe has become a hot-button topic lately, with NBA superstars such as Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Kobe Bryant are entertaining the thought of playing overseas should the NBA lockout persists. Childress recently talked to ESPN’s First Take about his experience in Greece, and after hearing what he had to say maybe players should rethink this whole European exploration.

“My main thing is do your research and make sure that you know what you’re getting into,” the 28-year-old forward said. “It’s not bad. I really enjoyed my time in Greece and in Europe. I was with a great organization and had great ownership.

“But I just wanted to let guys know to make sure exactly the type of team and organization you’re going to.”

Childress, who helped Olympiacos reach the Euroleague final in 2010, described his overall European experience as “wonderful” and says he truly enjoyed his time in Greece. However, there are some drawbacks, mainly dealing with the tardiness of the paychecks.

He said European pro clubs oftentimes are late in paying their players, and that’s not something NBA players have ever had to deal with. “It depends on the team, but primarily you’re at the mercy of the clubs,” Childress said. “Sometimes you don’t get your payment on time and you kinda have to deal with it.”

He added, “I was lucky to be with ownership that took care of everything, but that’s not the case everywhere.”

Childress also noticed a difference during ballgames, as fans get more boisterous and sometimes become part of the action. “You’re in the gym and fans can throw things at you,” he said. “Sometimes they have a laser pointed in your face while you’re at the free throw line.

“And the referees, sometimes, are corrupt. But you learn and deal with it and try to play through it.”

Another thing Childress mentioned was the travel. He said his club team, Olympiacos, was fairly good about housing players on nice hotels, but the flights are commercial, which should be enough to scare off the majority of NBA prima donnas. Can you image Kobe and LeBron flying commercial? The horror.

His advice for those players who are thinking about Europe? “My advice, two things: Number one, make sure you are sure of yourself. [Second], make sure you have your contract done at a neutral country. I had mine in Switzerland. When we had payment problems, we’d go to court there.

“Those are the two biggest things. Make sure you are covered.”

Kerem Tunceri (10) celebrates Turkey's 83-82 victory over Serbia in the semifinals of the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul. (FIBA)

Lucky or not, host nation Turkey will be competing for a gold medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Down 82-81 to Serbia with 4.3 seconds to play, Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic’s designed a play for his best player, Hedo Turkoglu. But as the Phoenix Suns forward made his move toward the sideline he lost control of the ball. Luckily for Turkoglu and Turkey, his teammate Kerem Tunceri was in the right place at the right time, as the Efes Pilsen guard picked up the loose ball and drove in for an uncontested layup with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game.

Serbia had one last opportunity to win but Novica Velickovic’s shot near the rim was blocked by Semih Erden and Turkey’s players stormed the court to celebrate the country’s monumental 83-82 victory before a raucous crowd in Istanbul.

“I had the lay-up so I took it. In the last four seconds, you don’t see anything, you don’t hear anything. It was perhaps the most important game for us,” said Tunceri, who finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He also recorded five of his team’s 10 assists, and his dribble penetration was key to Turkey’s fourth-quarter surge.

“You think the last four seconds were down to tactics, it was nothing except luck. Our thoughts were simply on getting the basket. We were lucky tonight, they played better than us. It was a miracle drive. This was the toughest game for us,” said Tanjevic, whose team will take on the United States in the final.

Both the U.S. and Turkey finished the preliminary round undefeated. The Americans, led by Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, have stepped it up a notch in the knockout stage as they’ve posted double-digit wins over Angola, Russia and Lithuania. Meanwhile, Turkey was pushed to the limit by a very tough Serbian team, led by Milos Teodosic (12 points), Marko Keselj (18 points) and  Nenad Krstic (15 points, seven rebounds).

“We tried hard, we fought,” Tunceri added. “I think it was a fascinating game. From the beginning of tournament we have been fighting. At crucial stages, we went behind but we bounced back.”

Turkoglu led Turkey with 16 points, but he got plenty of help from 7-foot center Omer Asik and and 6-11 forward Erden, who combined for 14 points and 10 rebounds. Asik will play for the Chicago Bulls this season, while Erden will don the Boston Celtics jersey. Both big men should present some big problems for the United States in the final.

With the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders, Turkey did not play their best in the first half and trailed for much of the second half. But Tunceri was clutch in the fourth quarter. With Turkey down 75-71 and a little over four minutes left to play, he scored five consecutive points to edge them in front and make a game of it.

Serbia took a 42-35 into halftime, thanks to Keselj’s outside shooting and Krstic’s inside scoring. But the momentum switched to Turkey’s side in the second half, outscoring Serbia 25-21 in the third and 23-19 in the fourth.

“It was a very tough game tonight,” said Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic. “We won the first half by seven points but we had less control in the second half and unfortunately, we lost our concentration because of the pressure in the last couple of minutes. Maybe luck turned against us with Tunceri’s basket in the last seconds.

“I think the Serbian team was better tonight. We deserved the win. We have to unite and prepare a small final for third place. I wish the best for Turkish team.”

All post-game comments were courtesy of FIBA.com