Parker lifts France to the finals

Spurs Guard Tony Parker has taken France to the Eurobasket championship vs. Lithuania 75-72. Parker scored 32 points and used overtime to lead France over the 2-time defending champion Spain. Spain led France by 14 points at halftime. Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies paved the way for Spain with 19 Points and 9 rebounds in the semi-finals but, still fell short. Had Spain had Pau Gasol of the Lakers and Juan Carlos Navarro, the outcome probably would have favored Spain.

Lithuania reached its first final since winning the title 10 years ago by beating Croatia 77-62. They are aiming for their fourth championship. Lithuania used a balanced scoring attack to move on to the finals. Jonas Maciulis led Lithuania with 23 points, Linas Kleiza added 22 and Mantas Kalnietis scored 18. Raptors Center Jonas Valanciunas was a defensive force blocking 5 shots in the semi-finals. Bojan Bogdanovic led Croatia with 15 points. Bogdanovic was a 2nd round draft choice of the Miami Heat in 2011 but plays overseas still. Lithuania plays France for the Championship on September 22.

By Steven Spector -9-21-13