France defeats Lithuania to win Eurobasket 2013; Tony Parker MVP

[Grinder]

A great tournament culminated in Les Bleus winning their first ever Eurobasket crown after finally getting past their arch rivals Spain in the semi-finals. Lithuania had defeated France earlier in the tournament but just looked flat today. Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw had big games for France.




Tony Parker was named MVP of the tournament. Add this to the long list of accolades Tony has earned over his career. This should help make up for some of the disappointment of the NBA finals.



The all tournament team:
Goran Dragic
Tony Parker
Bojan Bogdanovic
Linas Kleiza
Marc Gasol


Gold: France
Silver: Lithuania
Bronze: Spain

[East_Stone_Ya]

Petro was crucial in the second quarter

[Euroleague]

A great tournament culminated in Les Bleus winning their first ever Eurobasket crown after finally getting past their arch rivals Spain in the semi-finals. Lithuania had defeated France earlier in the tournament but just looked flat today. Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw had big games for France.




Tony Parker was named MVP of the tournament. Add this to the long list of accolades Tony has earned over his career. This should help make up for some of the disappointment of the NBA finals.

The all tournament team:
Goran Dragic
Tony Parker
Bojan Bogdanovic
Linas Kleiza
Marc Gasol


Gold: France
Silver: Lithuania
Bronze: Spain

Totally undeserved for Kleiza and Dragic, especially Dragic. Playing at home and you get 5th place and you get in the all tournament team? That's a serious joke and then some.

[Lebron23]

Guy is unstoppable in FIBA competition. He's now a first ballot hall of famer.

[SamuraiSWISH]

LMAO @ Eurobasket, TP didn't choke the way he did when LeBron put him in a straight jacket like game 6 and game 7 of the Finals? Taking his failures out on Lithuania in the insanely weak Eurobasket. No Shitnoulis on the all tournament team?

[Euroleague]

Guy is unstoppable in FIBA competition. He's now a first ballot hall of famer.

Yeah, I guess that's why he now has 1 FIBA championship, as compared to 3 NBA championships..................

[kNicKz]

He's now a first ballot hall of famer.

Location: LeBronville

we know what you're trying to do here

[Grinder]

I thought Rudy Fernandez should have been on the all tournament team instead of Bogdanovic or Dragic. Sergio Rodriguez really played well in this tournament too and opened the eyes of a lot of NBA fans who had forgotten about him.

Next year's World Cup in Spain is going to be awesome if teams bring their full rosters.

Spain:
Calderon - Rubio - Rodriguez
Navarro - Llull
Fernandez - San Emeterio
Pau - Claver
Marc - Ibaka - Rey

France:
Parker - Diot - Beaubois
Batum - De Colo
Gelabale - Fournier
Diaw - Seraphin
Noah - Ajin

[Euroleague]

[QUOTE=Grinder]I thought Rudy Fernandez should have been on the all tournament team instead of Bogdanovic or Dragic. Sergio Rodriguez really played well in this tournament too and opened the eyes of a lot of NBA fans who had forgotten about him.

Next year's World Cup in Spain is going to be awesome if teams bring their full rosters.

Spain:
Calderon - Rubio - Rodriguez
Navarro - Llull
Fernandez - San Emeterio
Pau - Claver
Marc - Ibaka - Rey

France:
Parker - Diot - Beaubois
Batum - De Colo
Gelabale - Fournier
Diaw - Seraphin
Noah - Ajin

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Won the championship that matters.

[All Net]

Congrats Parker and France..Parker is going to be very tired now though..pop needs to manage his minutes.

[Grinder]

ALL-EUROBASKET TEAM

Goran Dragic (Slovenia). Terrific guard that would be so much better with improved decision-making. He was Slovenia's best player – especially in the open court – but couldn't save his team from elimination against France. Too many hero shots in the biggest game. Still, the highly-motivated Suns guard put together a solid tournament.

Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia). An all-around go-to scorer for Croatia that should have the Nets salivating. Looking more and more like a draft steal with that 31st pick in 2011.

Linas Kleiza (Lithuania). A bust in Toronto, Kleiza remains an effective player for Lithuania. It was team effort rather than individual play that took Lithuania to the championship game, but Kleiza's role was central – especially in the semifinal game vs. Croatia.

Marc Gasol (Spain). With his brother sitting out the Eurobasket, the Grizzlies center became the featured big man in Spain's offense. Although often a reluctant shooter, Gasol still led the Spaniards in scoring with 13.9 points per game, his best mark in a FIBA competition. Was unquestionably the best defensive player in the tournament.

HONORABLE MENTION
Mantas Kalnietis (Lithuania). Point guard play was supposed to be the main Lithuanian weakness, but ended up being a strength thanks to the brilliant performance of trigger-happy Kalnietis, who finished No. 1 in assists.

Boris Diaw (France). His high basketball IQ continues to be a huge asset for France. Was a playmaker for the team – to the point of finishing with more assists than Parker.

Alexis Ajinca (France). The former Maverick center filled in nicely for Joakim Noah at the center position. Was a threat offensively at times and made it very tough for France's opponents to finish at the rim with his freakish length. Still gets pushed around.

Nicolas Batum (France). Stepped up in the final after a no-show in the semis against Spain. His length and athleticism gave him an edge against most of the competition in Slovenia.

Sergio Rodriguez (Spain). In a point guard rotation that featured Wolves' Ricky Rubio and Mavs veteran Jose Manuel Calderon, it was the former Blazer who truly shined. Rodriguez came off the bench and often changed the game for the Spaniards with efficient scoring and playmaking. No longer a defensive liability, Rodriguez merits a second look by NBA teams. With two years left on his contract with Real Madrid, an NBA return looks like a long shot, though.

Rudy Fernandez (Spain). Cut down on the antics and performed better. A key two-way player for Spain that made up some for the absence of Juan Carlos Navarro.

Gigi Datome (Italy). Despite its disappointing finish, Italy was one of the feel-good stories in the tournament after years of bombing in FIBA competitions. Datome's play was one of the main reasons. The Pistons got themselves a high-energy forward with great shooting skills. Think of a poor man's Shawn Marion with way better shooting form.

Pooh Jeter (Ukraine). Hired gun that played within a team concept. Led his team in both scoring and assists and Ukraine surprisingly qualified for next year's World Cup.

Nenad Krstic (Serbia). Was destroyed by Marc Gasol in the quarter-finals game vs. Spain, but for the most part delivered and was a steady veteran presence for a Serbian team with an average age of 23.

Jeffery Taylor (Sweden). The Bobcats' sophomore guard took more than 25 percent of the shots of his team and ended with the best scoring average of the tournament.

Jan Vesely (Czech Republic). Looked like the player the Wizards drafted and not the one we've seen in the NBA. The body of work was limited, though, since the Czech Republic was eliminated after only five games.

http://bit.ly/1eAnzs1

[Euroleague]

HONORABLE MENTION
Mantas Kalnietis (Lithuania). Point guard play was supposed to be the main Lithuanian weakness, but ended up being a strength thanks to the brilliant performance of trigger-happy Kalnietis, who finished No. 1 in assists.

Boris Diaw (France). His high basketball IQ continues to be a huge asset for France. Was a playmaker for the team – to the point of finishing with more assists than Parker.

Alexis Ajinca (France). The former Maverick center filled in nicely for Joakim Noah at the center position. Was a threat offensively at times and made it very tough for France's opponents to finish at the rim with his freakish length. Still gets pushed around.

Nicolas Batum (France). Stepped up in the final after a no-show in the semis against Spain. His length and athleticism gave him an edge against most of the competition in Slovenia.

Sergio Rodriguez (Spain). In a point guard rotation that featured Wolves' Ricky Rubio and Mavs veteran Jose Manuel Calderon, it was the former Blazer who truly shined. Rodriguez came off the bench and often changed the game for the Spaniards with efficient scoring and playmaking. No longer a defensive liability, Rodriguez merits a second look by NBA teams. With two years left on his contract with Real Madrid, an NBA return looks like a long shot, though.

Rudy Fernandez (Spain). Cut down on the antics and performed better. A key two-way player for Spain that made up some for the absence of Juan Carlos Navarro.

Gigi Datome (Italy). Despite its disappointing finish, Italy was one of the feel-good stories in the tournament after years of bombing in FIBA competitions. Datome's play was one of the main reasons. The Pistons got themselves a high-energy forward with great shooting skills. Think of a poor man's Shawn Marion with way better shooting form.

Pooh Jeter (Ukraine). Hired gun that played within a team concept. Led his team in both scoring and assists and Ukraine surprisingly qualified for next year's World Cup.

Nenad Krstic (Serbia). Was destroyed by Marc Gasol in the quarter-finals game vs. Spain, but for the most part delivered and was a steady veteran presence for a Serbian team with an average age of 23.

Jeffery Taylor (Sweden). The Bobcats' sophomore guard took more than 25 percent of the shots of his team and ended with the best scoring average of the tournament.

Jan Vesely (Czech Republic). Looked like the player the Wizards drafted and not the one we've seen in the NBA. The body of work was limited, though, since the Czech Republic was eliminated after only five games.

That's not official. There has never been any honorable mention team at that tournament. That's just some blogger writing stuff.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Crazy thing is, Parker wasn't even going all-out. Going through the motions and still racked up an MVP.

[Rooster]

A great tournament culminated in Les Bleus winning their first ever Eurobasket crown after finally getting past their arch rivals Spain in the semi-finals. Lithuania had defeated France earlier in the tournament but just looked flat today. Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw had big games for France.




Tony Parker was named MVP of the tournament. Add this to the long list of accolades Tony has earned over his career. This should help make up for some of the disappointment of the NBA finals.

The all tournament team:
Goran Dragic
Tony Parker
Bojan Bogdanovic
Linas Kleiza
Marc Gasol


Gold: France
Silver: Lithuania
Bronze: Spain

All Tournament Team=NBA Players

Bognadovic will be in NNA when he's ready