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Tony Parker was back in Paris last week spending some time at a very American part of France’s capital city.
Parker attended the opening the amusement park’s annual Christmas celebration. While there, he spent a little time , according to the sports website Terez Owens.com
And from the looks in the picture, Parker doesn’t seem to be missing the rigors of NBA life very much at this time.
By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Spurs guard Manu Ginobili made only three baskets in Argentina’s 86-51 thumping of Uruguay on Thursday, but Spurs fans will be delighted to know two of them were emphatic dunks.
The spring appears to be back in Ginobili’s legs, even after a hard, month-long training camp.
“I’m feeling great,” Ginobili said. “The team is doing good. We had a long month of training camp where we practice twice a day almost every day. I am feeling good and in great shape.
“The team is rolling, so I have no complaints.”
All three Spurs-connected players in the event were in action on the second day of the FIBA Americas tournament, which will qualify the top two teams for the 2012 Olympics in London. Center Tiago Splitter helped Brazil hang on for a 69-57 victory over Canada, with Spurs draftee Cory Joseph playing 24 minutes for Team Canada.
Splitter scored only five points, but had 10 rebounds and three assists.
Joseph made 4 of 10 shots and scored eight points, with two assists.
Ginobili’s presence was needed in Argentina’s victory for only 16 minutes and 17 seconds Thursday, but he used them efficiently. The two-time NBA All-Star had seven points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists.
The fun of playing on his national team, Ginobili said, is in the passing.
“I am having a lot of fun setting up my teammates,” he said. “Especially against these kind of teams, you don’t need to score 20 or 30 points. We have enormous talents, especially offensively. Sometimes I’m playing with players, like (Andres) Nocioni, who are great scorers. If I find them open, they’re going to finish, so I’m enjoying it.
“There is no better team, and everybody on our team is feeling good about themselves.”
Houston Rockets big man Luis Scola scored 18 points to lead the Argentines.
Splitter said Brazil’s two close encounters should steel the team for the elimination round beginning Sept. 5.
“The two close games we didn’t expect, but we know that now is the time to play,” he said. “Now the games really matter, but I think today we figured out how to defend better. That is our key. Coach (Ruben) Magnano wants us to have good defense and then run the fast break.”
The Dominican Republic, coached by Kentucky’s John Calipari, also improved to 2-0 as did Brazil and Puerto Rico.
Al Horford, who plays for the Atlanta Hawks, had 19 points for the Dominican Republic in a 92-89 win over Venezuela.
At the European Championship, Spurs guard Tony Parker had 31 points Wednesday to help France beat Latvia 89-78 in Siauliai, Lithuania.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Staff and wire reports
To understand the rivalry between Argentina and Brazil, think Spurs-Mavericks or Lakers-Celtics, with a healthy dose of nationalism added to the mix.
So while Wednesday’s game at the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Mar del Plata, Argentina, meant little in the scope of the event — both teams already had qualified for the semifinals on Saturday — it meant a packed house at Malvinas Argentinas Arena, filled mostly with flag-waving, chanting Argentines.
But the locals were left stunned by the outcome: Brazil 73, Argentina 71.
Worse than Argentina’s first loss of the tournament was an injury to Andres Nocioni, the Philadelphia 76ers forward who is one of the team’s top offensive players and its emotional leader.
Jumping center for his team, Nocioni won the opening tap from Spurs center Tiago Splitter but landed awkwardly on his right ankle. Nocioni left the game and did not return, and his status for the remainder of the tournament is unclear.
Coming off a 26-point game against Uruguay in which he made 6 of 8 on 3-pointers, Spurs star Manu Ginobili missed his three long-range attempts against Brazil and made only 5 of 12 total shots. Ginobili scored 14 points but had only one assist and three rebounds, his least effective game of the tournament.
Splitter was in foul trouble early and played only 18 minutes but still managed to grab eight rebounds and hand out three assists.
Canada 70, Uruguay 68: Canada, with Spurs draftee and former Texas star Cory Joseph getting two points, two rebounds and two assists, kept alive its hopes for a spot in next summer’s pre-Olympic qualifying tournament with a win. The fifth-place team at the FIBA Americas will earn that spot. The Canadians need a victory against Panama today, plus a Puerto Rico victory over Venezuela, to clinch that berth.
– Mike Monroe
France 68, Turkey 64: Led by 20 points from Spurs point guard Tony Parker, France moved closer to the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship by beating Turkey.
Parker made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 18 seconds to lift his team, although France nearly squandered a 15-point lead in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the second-round group stage of the tournament.
Spain 77, Germany 68: The Gasol brothers — Pau and Marc — got the better of Dirk Nowitzki, leaving Germany on the brink of elimination of the European tournament.
– Associated Press