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10-09-2006, 01:43 AM
http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/1436/180/nba-live-report-maccabi-84-97-spurs
NBA Live report: Maccabi 84-97 Spurs
Tony Parker Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv suffered its first loss of the preseason on Sunday afternoon, going down 84-97 in Paris to the San Antonio Spurs in the second of two NBA Europe Live games held in France. Point guard Tony Parker, the French star of the Spurs, thrilled the fans with 27 points and 5 assists as his team finished its European swing 2-0 after defeating Adecco Asvel on Thursday. The Spurs came out strong, and used a 0-10 first-quarter spurt to take a commanding 9-29 lead. Maccabi made several comeback attempts, but each time Parker, Tim Duncan or Matt Bonner answered to keep the 2005 NBA champs far ahead. Duncan finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while former Euroleague finals MVP Manu Ginobili and Bonner added 10 each. Jamie Arnold had 15 and Nikola Vujcic 14 for the 2005 Euroleage champions, while Simas Jasaitis added 11 and Lior Eliyahu 10. Maccbi continues in NBA Europe Live in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday against reigning Euroleague champ CSKA Moscow in a replay of their title game last spring.
Duncan opened the scoring with a turnaround jumper and Parker added a quick transition bucket for a 0-4 Spurs lead. Buford got Maccabi started with an alley-oop dunk from Vujcic, which Duncan erased with a short jumper. Maccabi finally adjusted its defense and on the other end Eliyahu scored in the paint off another Vujcic dish, causing the Spurs to call a timeout at 4-6. Whatever coach Gregg Popovic said during the break seemed to work as San Antonio reeled off 10 unanswered points. Duncan stepped up with a pair of hoops, Ginobili added free throws and then followed Parker's layup with another on the break to force a Maccabi timeout at 4-16. Arnold came out and immediately scored on a tip-in, but Parker responded with a high-flying layup-plus-free throw. Maccabi kept opting for outside shots, often off-balance jumpers. Meanwhile, Parker hit foul shots and Duncan scored three the hard way to make it an 18-point game, 6-24. Arnold and Vujcic tried to change things for Maccabi, but Bruce Bown and Michael Finley scored to put the Spurs ahead 9-29. Simas Jasaitis stepped up with a three-point play, a five-meter jumper and a big triple that brought Maccabi within 17-32, before Ginobili beat the buzzer with a tip-in which to give the Spurs a 17-34 lead after 12 minutes. Jamie Arnold and Tim Duncan
Vujcic tried to ignite a Maccabi comeback with a long jumper to start the second quarter. Maccabi's defense also tightened, as the Spurs went scoreless for more than 2 minutes while another Vujcic shot made it 21-34. Sharon Shason canned a jumper and Arnold stepped up with his second tip-in to bring Maccabi even closer, 25-35. After a Spurs timeout, Parker returned to the floor and immediately delivered. He shined with a floating layup and fed Francisco Elson for a fastbreak slam, good for a 26-39 Spurs lead. Parker continued to delight the crowd, answering Buford's fall-away jumper with a driving layup and then feeding Finley for a long jumper to make it an 18-point game, 28-46. Bynum scored in penetration, but Maccabi was again struggling against the Spurs defense. Parker and Jasaitis exchanged six-meter jumpers in the final minute, as the teams headed to the locker rooms with the Spurs up 32-48.
Eliyahu's put-back layup and basket in penetration kept the Maccabi offense active after the break, but Parker had already decided to provide the local fans a show. His driving layup and free throws extended the Spurs margin to 36-54. Ginobili fed Bruce Bowen for a fastbreak dunk, as Maccabi had little success attacking the basket. Meanwhile, Parker scored on another drive, and even after missing a fastbreak dunk quickly fired in a big jumper for a 36-60 scoreboard. Fabricio Oberto and Vujcic exchanged baskets and Arnold followed a layup with a turnaround jumper to bring Maccabi within 44-62. Bowen scored in penetration, but Vujcic immediately matched it with a long jumper and Arnold made it 48-66. Finley fired in a jumper, but Arnold was now unstoppable. His soft move in the paint and a big jumper off the dribble by Yotam Halperin got their team within 52-67. But the Maccabi comeback attempt vanished in the final 45 seconds of the period. Ginobili scored in transition, Robert Horry beat the shot clock with a triple and Oberto added a layup off a Ginobili timeout, enough for the Spurs to lead 52-74 at the end of the third quarter.
Simas Jasaitis and Manu Ginobili
Arnold remained hot early in the fourth quarter, but his layup found a quick answer from Ginobili on the other end. Arnold scored again while a free throw by Shason brought Maccabi within 57-76. The outcome was already clear, especially when Barry buried a seven-meter jumper, but Maccabi did not give up. Buford made free throws, but Jacque Vaughn scored an electric layup and fed Elson for an uncontested dunk. Vujcic worked his way in the low post for a left-handed layup and hit a long jumper for a 19-point Maccabi deficit, 63-82, with 8 minutes to go. Matt Bonner fired in a jumper, which Eliyahu erased in the other end. Both defenses started to allow more open shots at this point, giving the crowd a chance to see a run-and-gun show. Halperin buried a triple and Eliyahu slashed for an uncontested layup to give Maccabi some hope at 69-84. Duncan stepped up with a short jumper, but Yaniv Green bettered him with a three-point play for a 72-86 deficit. Duncan hit 1-of-2 free throws and then Buford fired in a jumper. The Spurs used long possesions now, as Bonner scored around the basket. Shason hit back-to-back three-pointers to make it an 11-point game, 80-91, but it was too little, too late. The Spurs went back to the United States with two wins, while Maccabi Elite now heads to Cologne for a big showdown against Euroleague champions CSKA Moscow.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovic:
"I do know there are great coaches all over the world, there are great players and the competition is fantastic now. It's wonderful. In the early 90's it wasn't even competition. It was entertainment, but today it's better, because it's competitive and that's great for basketball. Manu is a great competitor and as the days went along his hip felt better and better. We were competitive both on the court and in the dinners. We have to go because we can't keep doing this all day and all night. We've done it before, and some teams may not want to do it, because they think they'll get too tired, but it's a great chance for a team to get to know each other away from home. Down the road it's a good thing for the team. At some point it will make it easier if all rules will be the same. The teams are so competitive now, and it will be better if everyone will know and become used to the rules when they play each other. I thought Maccabi was in disadvantage because it was mostly NBA rules. Many new players, new coach and playing NBA rules made it very difficult for them. I don't even worry about Tony Parker. He's the most mature 23-year-old I've ever been around."
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker
"It was a pleasure to be back in France. I'm very happy about this week and I'm going to rest now and sleep on the plane all the way back. It's fine with me. I wish I had played in the World Championships, but sometimes you get injured. I'm fine now, I'm still young I'll have time to play with the national team in big compeitions. European teams are getting better. It's not a surprise or new. I think it's kinda hard for NBA teams, because we started only four days ago, and European teams started a month ago, but it's great for European basketball."
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan:
"You have to respect the European game. It's a different basketball. We respect them and we play hard. I think the goal is the same. It's such a long season that you have to start the process. It's a tough situation with the jetlag and everything but I think we did a good job."
Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Neven Spajiha:
"I'd like to congratulate Coach Popovic and the Spurs for the win. There's one more step but a big one between the European and the NBA levels. We played very bad, and the Spurs are for sure the best team on this tour. Now the best European team can play against the best NBA team, but we can't do it in this period. We have been together only two weeks and with six new players and we miss some important players tonight. It's too early to speak about the the Final Four right now. We definitely need time. My biggest problem is that we have a very busy schedule before the season, because we don't really have much time to practice. We need more practice, and I really can't tell you when we're going to be good enough to play the top European level, but I'm sure we can do that. We just need more time together."
Maccabi Tel Aviv center Nikola Vujcic:
"It was great feeling to play against Tim Duncan. We didn't open the game like we wanted and it was hard to chase after such a good and experienced team. We need time to know each other better because we are a new team. So we need more practice to get better, like coach said before. We are coming closer to the NBA, as you see every summer a national team beat the NBA national team."
Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Rodney Buford:
"We just need a lot of work. We've been together for only about two weeks. They are much bigger and more physical. We didn't really show what we can do tonight. There are a lot of European teams out there. I guess tonight was just not our night."
Sunday, October 08, 2006
NBA Live report: Maccabi 84-97 Spurs
Tony Parker Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv suffered its first loss of the preseason on Sunday afternoon, going down 84-97 in Paris to the San Antonio Spurs in the second of two NBA Europe Live games held in France. Point guard Tony Parker, the French star of the Spurs, thrilled the fans with 27 points and 5 assists as his team finished its European swing 2-0 after defeating Adecco Asvel on Thursday. The Spurs came out strong, and used a 0-10 first-quarter spurt to take a commanding 9-29 lead. Maccabi made several comeback attempts, but each time Parker, Tim Duncan or Matt Bonner answered to keep the 2005 NBA champs far ahead. Duncan finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while former Euroleague finals MVP Manu Ginobili and Bonner added 10 each. Jamie Arnold had 15 and Nikola Vujcic 14 for the 2005 Euroleage champions, while Simas Jasaitis added 11 and Lior Eliyahu 10. Maccbi continues in NBA Europe Live in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday against reigning Euroleague champ CSKA Moscow in a replay of their title game last spring.
Duncan opened the scoring with a turnaround jumper and Parker added a quick transition bucket for a 0-4 Spurs lead. Buford got Maccabi started with an alley-oop dunk from Vujcic, which Duncan erased with a short jumper. Maccabi finally adjusted its defense and on the other end Eliyahu scored in the paint off another Vujcic dish, causing the Spurs to call a timeout at 4-6. Whatever coach Gregg Popovic said during the break seemed to work as San Antonio reeled off 10 unanswered points. Duncan stepped up with a pair of hoops, Ginobili added free throws and then followed Parker's layup with another on the break to force a Maccabi timeout at 4-16. Arnold came out and immediately scored on a tip-in, but Parker responded with a high-flying layup-plus-free throw. Maccabi kept opting for outside shots, often off-balance jumpers. Meanwhile, Parker hit foul shots and Duncan scored three the hard way to make it an 18-point game, 6-24. Arnold and Vujcic tried to change things for Maccabi, but Bruce Bown and Michael Finley scored to put the Spurs ahead 9-29. Simas Jasaitis stepped up with a three-point play, a five-meter jumper and a big triple that brought Maccabi within 17-32, before Ginobili beat the buzzer with a tip-in which to give the Spurs a 17-34 lead after 12 minutes. Jamie Arnold and Tim Duncan
Vujcic tried to ignite a Maccabi comeback with a long jumper to start the second quarter. Maccabi's defense also tightened, as the Spurs went scoreless for more than 2 minutes while another Vujcic shot made it 21-34. Sharon Shason canned a jumper and Arnold stepped up with his second tip-in to bring Maccabi even closer, 25-35. After a Spurs timeout, Parker returned to the floor and immediately delivered. He shined with a floating layup and fed Francisco Elson for a fastbreak slam, good for a 26-39 Spurs lead. Parker continued to delight the crowd, answering Buford's fall-away jumper with a driving layup and then feeding Finley for a long jumper to make it an 18-point game, 28-46. Bynum scored in penetration, but Maccabi was again struggling against the Spurs defense. Parker and Jasaitis exchanged six-meter jumpers in the final minute, as the teams headed to the locker rooms with the Spurs up 32-48.
Eliyahu's put-back layup and basket in penetration kept the Maccabi offense active after the break, but Parker had already decided to provide the local fans a show. His driving layup and free throws extended the Spurs margin to 36-54. Ginobili fed Bruce Bowen for a fastbreak dunk, as Maccabi had little success attacking the basket. Meanwhile, Parker scored on another drive, and even after missing a fastbreak dunk quickly fired in a big jumper for a 36-60 scoreboard. Fabricio Oberto and Vujcic exchanged baskets and Arnold followed a layup with a turnaround jumper to bring Maccabi within 44-62. Bowen scored in penetration, but Vujcic immediately matched it with a long jumper and Arnold made it 48-66. Finley fired in a jumper, but Arnold was now unstoppable. His soft move in the paint and a big jumper off the dribble by Yotam Halperin got their team within 52-67. But the Maccabi comeback attempt vanished in the final 45 seconds of the period. Ginobili scored in transition, Robert Horry beat the shot clock with a triple and Oberto added a layup off a Ginobili timeout, enough for the Spurs to lead 52-74 at the end of the third quarter.
Simas Jasaitis and Manu Ginobili
Arnold remained hot early in the fourth quarter, but his layup found a quick answer from Ginobili on the other end. Arnold scored again while a free throw by Shason brought Maccabi within 57-76. The outcome was already clear, especially when Barry buried a seven-meter jumper, but Maccabi did not give up. Buford made free throws, but Jacque Vaughn scored an electric layup and fed Elson for an uncontested dunk. Vujcic worked his way in the low post for a left-handed layup and hit a long jumper for a 19-point Maccabi deficit, 63-82, with 8 minutes to go. Matt Bonner fired in a jumper, which Eliyahu erased in the other end. Both defenses started to allow more open shots at this point, giving the crowd a chance to see a run-and-gun show. Halperin buried a triple and Eliyahu slashed for an uncontested layup to give Maccabi some hope at 69-84. Duncan stepped up with a short jumper, but Yaniv Green bettered him with a three-point play for a 72-86 deficit. Duncan hit 1-of-2 free throws and then Buford fired in a jumper. The Spurs used long possesions now, as Bonner scored around the basket. Shason hit back-to-back three-pointers to make it an 11-point game, 80-91, but it was too little, too late. The Spurs went back to the United States with two wins, while Maccabi Elite now heads to Cologne for a big showdown against Euroleague champions CSKA Moscow.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovic:
"I do know there are great coaches all over the world, there are great players and the competition is fantastic now. It's wonderful. In the early 90's it wasn't even competition. It was entertainment, but today it's better, because it's competitive and that's great for basketball. Manu is a great competitor and as the days went along his hip felt better and better. We were competitive both on the court and in the dinners. We have to go because we can't keep doing this all day and all night. We've done it before, and some teams may not want to do it, because they think they'll get too tired, but it's a great chance for a team to get to know each other away from home. Down the road it's a good thing for the team. At some point it will make it easier if all rules will be the same. The teams are so competitive now, and it will be better if everyone will know and become used to the rules when they play each other. I thought Maccabi was in disadvantage because it was mostly NBA rules. Many new players, new coach and playing NBA rules made it very difficult for them. I don't even worry about Tony Parker. He's the most mature 23-year-old I've ever been around."
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker
"It was a pleasure to be back in France. I'm very happy about this week and I'm going to rest now and sleep on the plane all the way back. It's fine with me. I wish I had played in the World Championships, but sometimes you get injured. I'm fine now, I'm still young I'll have time to play with the national team in big compeitions. European teams are getting better. It's not a surprise or new. I think it's kinda hard for NBA teams, because we started only four days ago, and European teams started a month ago, but it's great for European basketball."
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan:
"You have to respect the European game. It's a different basketball. We respect them and we play hard. I think the goal is the same. It's such a long season that you have to start the process. It's a tough situation with the jetlag and everything but I think we did a good job."
Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Neven Spajiha:
"I'd like to congratulate Coach Popovic and the Spurs for the win. There's one more step but a big one between the European and the NBA levels. We played very bad, and the Spurs are for sure the best team on this tour. Now the best European team can play against the best NBA team, but we can't do it in this period. We have been together only two weeks and with six new players and we miss some important players tonight. It's too early to speak about the the Final Four right now. We definitely need time. My biggest problem is that we have a very busy schedule before the season, because we don't really have much time to practice. We need more practice, and I really can't tell you when we're going to be good enough to play the top European level, but I'm sure we can do that. We just need more time together."
Maccabi Tel Aviv center Nikola Vujcic:
"It was great feeling to play against Tim Duncan. We didn't open the game like we wanted and it was hard to chase after such a good and experienced team. We need time to know each other better because we are a new team. So we need more practice to get better, like coach said before. We are coming closer to the NBA, as you see every summer a national team beat the NBA national team."
Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Rodney Buford:
"We just need a lot of work. We've been together for only about two weeks. They are much bigger and more physical. We didn't really show what we can do tonight. There are a lot of European teams out there. I guess tonight was just not our night."
Sunday, October 08, 2006