PARIS - Tony Parker scored 27 points in front of his home fans to lead the
San Antonio Spurs over Maccabi Tel Aviv 97-84 Sunday in an exhibition game.
 San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker,
right, runs with the ball front of Yotam Halperin, left, and Lioir Elyahu,
center, of Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv during an exhibition match in Bercy
Stadium Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006. The San Antonio Spurs are in Paris as part
of NBA Europe Live tour, a promotional event which brought four NBA teams,
the Suns, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers and the San
Antonio Spurs to Europe.[AP] |
Tim Duncan
added 15 points, while Manu Ginobili scored 10 to give the Spurs their second
straight win in France.
"It's been a long week," said Parker, who scored 26 points against Asvel
Villeurbane on Thursday. "It's been a pleasure to come back here and see family
and friends, and we had two good games and two wins."
Parker, who missed playing for France at the world championships because of a
broken finger, has fully recovered, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Parker received a standing ovation when he left the court with a minute to
play as fans chanted, "Tony! Tony!"
"Some day it would be great to play in a world championship," Parker said.
"But now I will just focus on the Spurs and hope we have a great season."
Jaime Arnold led Maccabi with 15 points, while Nikola Vujic added 14.
"There's no excuses today," said Maccabi's Rodney Buford, who played in the
NBA with the New Jersey Nets. "We just didn't play Maccabi ball today. I just
couldn't get any rhythm out there."
France striker Thierry Henry attended the game and sat next to Parker's
girlfriend, Eva Longoria.
"It's great to watch him. He can change a game in a moment," Henry said.
"That's what I like about him. He's a lot like me actually. It's quite
frightening. He has that great first touch."
Parker has combined practice with guest appearances and hospital visits since
he returned to France.
"If he's not tired now, he never will be," Popovich said. "He's been up 22
hours day. That shows what a consummate professional he is."
On Saturday, a wax model of Parker was unveiled in Paris' Grevin museum.
"It's a great honor. Not just anybody gets into the Grevin museum. I think
only seven athletes ever have," Parker said. "I always try and represent my
country well in the United States. I hope I will continue to help people dream."
The Spurs are one of four teams playing on the NBA Europe Live tour. The
Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns also are taking part.
Last year, Maccabi beat the Toronto Raptors in an exhibition game.