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.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Injuries to Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have slowed the Spurs in the second half of the season. (GETTY IMAGES)

Those looking at the NBA spread for San Antonio’s games this week may see the lines affected by injuries, which have hit the Spurs at precisely the wrong time. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan is out with an ankle injury, and now Manu Ginobili may be sitting this week because of a leg contusion that he suffered Sunday against Memphis. Combine this with a three-game losing streak heading into games against Portland and Boston this week, some may be jumping off the Spurs’ bandwagon.

The Spurs are only for real if they can get one of these players back. Ginobili is the leading scorer in a very balanced attack, and he also handles the ball so Tony Parker can play the two-guard role to open up his scoring. But Duncan is a bigger loss for the Spurs, literally, because of his size. In the West, the Spurs have to contend with the defending champions from Los Angeles, who are a big team, Oklahoma City picked up Kendrick Perkins, Dallas has Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler roaming the inside, and you also have Portland (LaMarcus Aldridge) and Memphis (Zach Randolph). Without Duncan, the Spurs are left with DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner and Antonio McDyess, none of whom play over 22 minutes a game. While Duncan isn’t the 20/10 machine he once was, he still has enough savvy in the post to be a factor on both ends of the floor, and they need him in the playoffs.

If the Spurs can hold onto the top spot in the West, that will help a lot because they are 33-3 at home this season. They can manage to get away with losing Ginobili, but the Spurs need Duncan to be 100%, or at least 90%, for the Spurs to have a chance to get out of the wild West.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Spurs' big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are off to a fast start in the 2010-11 season. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Who says who can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The San Antonio Spurs own the best record in the NBA at this time, and they are doing it with . . . drum roll, please . . . offense.

The Showtime Spurs? Yes, those same old Spurs – known as a defensive-minded team for the past decade, a philosophy that drove them to four NBA titles – has decided to throw a curveball to the entire league. Instead of the slow, prodding, methodical walk-it-up-the-court and wait-for-Duncan-to-post-up approach, the Spurs have made more of a concerted effort to push the ball up the court and get easy scores off fastbreaks.

But the Spurs’ new uptempo style doesn’t resemble the Suns’ frenetic, seven-seconds-or-less offense. It’s more of a controlled chaos and players are more judicious with their shot selection. Though head coach Gregg Popovich has given the green light to his players to hoist early shots, it doesn’t mean they’re allowed to take stupid shots.

“[The Spurs] are insulting team,” said TNT analyst Kenny Smith. “They’re basically are saying most teams are dumb because they say that ‘We’re going to take good shots on every possession and we don’t think that you’re disciplined enough to do that to beat us. We don’t think that you are smart enough to make good plays for 48 minutes.’ ”

Smith added, “[The Spurs] bank on the fact that, they don’t have as much talent as everyone, but you will take dumb shots or quick shots and play out of character. To me, that’s insulting if I were an NBA player.”

Though Tim Duncan remains a key cog in the Spurs’ machinery, the offense now highlights the open-court skills of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. When you watch the Spurs these days, as soon as Duncan or one of the big men grab a rebound, they are looking for the outlet pass and most of the time the ball winds up in the hands of Parker or Ginobili.

Ginobili has benefited the most from the early offense because it highlights his incredible one-on-one skills. Ginobili leads the Spurs in scoring at nearly 20 points a game and he has stayed relatively healthy through the first quarter of the season.

Parker, now in his ninth year, has always been one of the best open-court players in the league, a one-man fastbreak who can go end-to-end like Usain Bolt. The Spurs used to rely on Parker’s fastbreak skills about 50% of the time. Now, they look to use Parker almost 90% of the time.

What has made the Spurs more dynamic offensively this season is the emergence of Jefferson as a trusted scorer in the starting unit. Jefferson struggled mightily a year ago, and felt lost in the offense.

During the offseason, Jefferson spent more time with head coach Gregg Popovich and learned how to play off of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili instead of getting in their way. Jefferson realized that to be effective in the Spurs’ system he needed to improve on his jump shot, especially on the corner where previous Spurs Bruce Bowen and Sean Elliott made their living.

Occupying the role of Malik Rose is second-year man DeJuan Blair. Blair is a second-round draft pick who has become the team’s starting center. Most teams passed on the former Pitt Panther because of his size (6 feet 6 inches tall) and bad knees, but the Spurs saw something in Blair much like they saw something in Rose, who was also 6-6.

Though undersized, Blair is an active body in the paint and he uses his girth to his advantage. Against the Lakers on Dec. 28, Blair had 17 points and 15 rebounds and thoroughly outworked the taller Lakers’ big men.

“The San Antonio Spurs do a better job of drafting players than anybody. They find those hidden gems,” says former NBA player Charles Barkley.

Another hidden gem the Spurs found was George Hill. Because he came out of IUPUI, Hill got lost in the shuffle during the draft process in 2008. The Spurs took him with the 26th pick in the first round, and Hill has turned out to be a steal. Popovich loves him, and thinks he can turn into a lock-down defender. Think of Bruce Bowen without all the slapping and flopping, and much more gifted athletically.

The Spurs and their new-look offense have taken the league by surprise early, and by the time the league catches on the Spurs may have home-court advantage throughout postseason.

Popularity: 3% [?]

TV star Eva Longoria reportedly filed for divorce from her husband Tony Parker, ending their three-year marriage. The “Desperate Housewives” star reasoned irreconcilable differences, which in Hollywood terms it simply means someone cheated.

According to several reports, depending on which one you’re reading or watching, the San Antonio Spurs guard is being accused of having a relationship with Erin Barry, the ex-wife of former Spurs teammate Brent Barry. Brent reportedly filed for divorce from Erin in October, and her relationship with Parker may have had something to do with it. C’mon, Tony? Couldn’t you have picked someone else’s wife? I guess the Spurs were such a close-in knit group that Parker wanted to cheat inside the Spurs’ family. Allegedly, of course.

According to TMZ.com, Parker denied of having a “sexual” relationship with Erin Barry, but admitted that he was “sexting” her up until a few months ago. If you do the imaginary timeline, that’s probably when Eva found out about Tony’s happy fingers and made her former hubby stop the “sexting relationship.” Parker says he was hoping to “work it out” with Longoria, but she’s not buying into his latest act of kindness.

Eva Longoria now becomes the most sought-after free agent on the market since LeBron James. She should hold a one-hour special on VH1 and call it “The Decision 2.” Here’s a look-back at the Tony Parker-Eva Longoria union (2007-2010). It was fun while it lasted:

French soccer star Thierry Henry (left) with good friend Tony Parker (middle) and Eva Longoria.

While seated with Eva, Tony seems to have his eyes on someone?

Are they arguing or are they having a really sexy staredown?

Eva is moved by something, while Tony remains stoic. Maybe they were watching the Knicks.

Eva has her eyes on Tony, while Tony's eyes seem to be all over the place.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Vlade Divac played 16 productive seasons in the NBA, six with the Sacramento Kings. His jersey No. 21 now hangs in the rafters in Arco Arena. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Vlade Divac’s No. 21 jersey was recently retired by the Sacramento Kings in honor of the groundbreaking Serbian center’s six successful seasons with the club.
Divac was the emotional leader and most popular player on the best teams in the franchise’s history, including the Kings’ back-to-back Pacific Division champions and the 2002 Western Conference finalists. He is the second-leading rebounder in Kings history, and he endeared himself to California’s capital city with extensive charity work.
Divac played 16 NBA seasons, including eight with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the Charlotte Hornets, and enjoyed six solid seasons with the Kings.
Even though he was not the first European player drafted by an NBA team, Divac’s successful run in the Association paved the way for a new wave of European ballers such as Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker.

OneManFastbreak.net rates the top 10 European-born players who have played in the NBA:

10) Šarunas Marčiulionis – At 6-5, 200 pounds and left-handed, he was the original Manu Ginobili. He was incredibly strong for a guard, and was fearless when he drove to the basket. He led the Soviet Union to a gold medal in the 1988 Summer Games, prompting a change to Olympic basketball and launching the development of the 1992 Dream Team. Marciulionis was drafted by Don Nelson in 1987, but did not play for the Golden State Warriors until 1989 when he entered the NBA as a 25-year-old rookie. His best season came in the 1991-92 season when he averaged 18 points per game off the bench.

9) Vlade Divac – A very skilled 7-footer who thrived in the Princeton Offense, where it showcased his ability to shoot or pass the ball near the free-throw line. Divac was more finesse than power. Considered the ambassador of Yugoslavian basketball to the United States. He was a good NBA player, but an even better person off the court. Divac, a Serb, and Drazen Petrovic of Croatia made it possible for NBA scouts to believe in the European player. Although he started and ended his career with the L.A. Lakers, Divac’s best seasons were spent in Sacramento where he served as the team leader of the run-and-gun Kings and took young Euros such as Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu under his wing.

8) Andrei Kirilenko – Owns one of the best nicknames in sports. The man they call “AK47″ is one of the most versatile players in the world and can definitely fill a stat sheet. AK47 is always among the league leaders in blocks and steals. He was the 24th player taken in the 1999 NBA draft and has played his entire career with the Utah Jazz. The 6-9 forward has been a member of the all-defense team three times (he made first-team all-defense during 2005-06 season).
7) Arvydas Sabonis – NBA fans never got to see the real Sabonis because multiple knee surgeries robbed him of his mobility when he got to Portland. He was still very effective for the Blazers, helping Portland become a Western Conference power from 1999 to 2001. But if the Blazers had gotten the 7-foot-3, 290-pound Lithuanian center when he was in his prime, the Blazers could have won a championship or two. Just ask David Robinson how good Sabonis was back in the 1988 Olympics when Sabonis schooled Mr. Robinson, who at the time was the reigning college player of the year.
6(t) Peja Stojakovic – At one point of his young professional life, he was considered the best pure shooter in the world. The native of Serbia and Montenegro was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1998, at the suggestion of Vlade Divac, and began making his mark during the 2000-01 season when he averaged 20.4 points as the starting small forward for the Kings. For the next five season, Stojakovic averaged more than 20 points per game and always among the league leaders in 3-point shooting. After a brief stint in Indiana, Stojakovic has been a member of the New Orleans Hornets for the past three seasons and has become Chris Paul’s favorite basketball sniper.
6(t) Detlef Schrempf – The native of Luverkusen was the pioneer of German basketball players. After a successful stint at the University of Washington, Schrempf was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1985 and went on to play 16 seasons in the NBA. His best years were spent in Indiana and Seattle. He was named sixth man of the year in 1990-91 and again in 1991-92. He was named to the all-star team in 1993, 1995 and 1997. In 1996, he was a part of the Sonics team that played lost to the Bulls in the NBA Finals. Detlef would be a lot higher on this list if he didn’t have such a bad reputation for being surly.

5) Dražen Petrović – He died in a car accident on July 7, 1993, on the highway in the vicinity of the German town of Ingolstadt, one day after his last game in a Croatian national team jersey at the qualifications tournament for the European championship in Wroclaw. Though his career was cut short by his untimely death, Petrovic left enough of an impact in the game that he was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. His last two seasons was spent in New Jersey, averaging 20.6 in 1991-92 and 22.3 in 1992-93. He made third team All-NBA in his fourth and final season in the NBA.
4) Toni Kukoć – Enjoyed a legendary career in Europe that earned him nicknames such as “The Croatian Sensation,” “White Magic,” and “The Waiter” for his ability to serve and dish the ball to teammates. The 6-10 forward starred for Benetton Treviso from 1991-93. He joined the Chicago Bulls in 1993 as a 25-year-old rookie, shortly after Michael Jordan’s first retirement from the NBA. In 13 NBA seasons, the six with the Bulls, Kukoc was regarded as one of the best sixth men, winning the award in 1996. Kukoc has three championship rings and a reputation for making clutch shots.
3) Pau Gasol – If there was a player influenced by the 1992 Dream Team, it was Pau Gasol. He was 12 years old when he saw firsthand the greatest collection of basketball stars all under one flag playing in his backyard in Barcelona. Now, Gasol is the face of Spanish basketball. He is easily the greatest basketball player to come out of Spain and we now just realizing his true talents as the perfect complement to Kobe Byrant. Gasol is a big reason for the popularity of the sport in his country and for the influx of Spanish players in the NBA, such as Jose Calderon, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez and his brother Marc.

2) Tony Parker – When San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich handed the keys to the franchise to this ultra-quick point guard when he was only 19 years old, you knew he was special. With Parker, who was born in Belgium but grew up in France, at the controls, the Spurs just took off. Parker was on championship teams in 2003, 2005 and 2007. He became the first European-born player to win the MVP of the NBA Finals. He is enjoying his best season in 2008-09, averaging career highs in points (21.8) and assists (6.9). Parker’s success opened the doors for other Frenchmen such as Boris Diaw and Mikael Pietrus. The three-time NBA all-star is also married to actress Eva Longoria, which gives him bonus points.

Dirk Nowitzki won the NBA MVP award in 2007.

1) Dirk Nowitzki – The first and only European-born player to win the NBA’s regular-season MVP when he took home the Maurice Podoloff trophy during the 2006-07 season. After a slow start to his rookie season in 1998, the 7-footer from Wurzburg, Germany, showed he belonged in the league when he raised his scoring average from 8.2 to 17.5 during his second season with the Dallas Mavericks. For then on, he has become a fixture in all-star games and on the All-NBA teams. He is an eight-time NBA all-star and has been named to the All-NBA first team three times. Nowitzki increased his scoring average to 21.8 points during his third season, and his scoring has never dipped below that number since. He averaged a career-best 26.6 points in the 2005-06 season when he led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. For the 2008-09 season, Nowitzki ranks in the top 10 in points per game (25.7), field goals made, field goal attempts, minutes played and free throw percentage. Nowitzki owns one of the purest shots in the game, a big man with an accurate jumper.

Popularity: 22% [?]