Tony Parker leads France to an impressive win over Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in pool play at EuroBasket 2011. (FIBA EUROPE)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker appears to be in midseason form as he poured in 32 points and dished out six assists in leading France to an impressive 76-65 victory over Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in pool play of the 2011 European Championships in Lithuania.

Parker made 11 of 20 shots from the field in 32 minutes, including both of his 3-point attempts. He also converted eight of nine free throws and grabbed four rebounds from his point guard position. Nowitzki led the way for Germany with 20 points.

France improved to 3-0 in Group B, while Germany fell to 2-1. France also defeated Germany in EuroBasket 2009.

Parker, who endured a disappointing first-round exit in the NBA playoffs last spring, currently leads the tournament in scoring with a 28.0 average and is making 59% of his field goals. He is also averaging a tournament-best 7.0 assists per game. Parker was rumored to be on the trading block last season, but if he can stay healthy and play at a high level, it will be very difficult for San Antonio to get rid of him.

The 2007 NBA Finals MVP had some help on the offensive end, as Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum had 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah contributed eight points and seven rebounds. France also boasts Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats) and Mickael Gelabale (formerly of the Seattle Sonics but now plays in Belgium), making this year’s French squad a serious contender for the EuroBasket title. The top two teams receive an automatic berth to the 2012 London Olympics.

Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman, arguably Germany’s second-best player, struggled from the field in his much anticipated matchup in the middle against Noah. Kaman made just four of nine shots and netted eight points.

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Nicolas Batum goes up for a shot against Canada. The Portland Trail Blazers forward is averaging 15 points per game for the French national team. (FIBA)

With Les Bleus still reeling from the debacle that occurred at the World Cup in South Africa, the French basketball team is doing its best to bring some much needed amour and dignite back to the country.

Through the first three games at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, France is in first place with a perfect 3-0 record, including a stunning opening-day victory over heavily favored Spain.

More surprisingly, France is doing all this with its so-called “B” team.

With Tony Parker, Joakim Noah and Mickael Pietrus – arguably Les Bleus’ three best players – sitting out the World Championships and Boris Diaw looking overweight and out of shape (again!), France wasn’t considered contenders and expectations were low after getting destroyed by the United States during the Nike World Basketball Festival in New York.

But one game changed the entire outlook of the team.

In Saturday’s opener against defending world champ Spain, France pulled a 72-66 upset thanks to outstanding performances by Nicolas Batum (14), Alain Koffi (11), Mickael Gelabale (16) and Andrew Albicy (13).

Batum, who plays forward for the Portland Trail Blazers, has been France’s best player at the World Championship. He almost single-handedly lifted France to victory over Canada, 68-63, on Tuesday, scoring 24 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

“What was great was that we had the courage to stay in the game,” French coach Vincent Collet told FIBA.com. “We held them to seven points in the last quarter. That’s why we won the game, and Nico (Batum) had a great game.”

Batum was at his best during crunch time, as 17 of his points came in the second half. Canada’s Levon Kendall – who missed two wide open 3-pointers to tie the game deep in the fourth – finished with 15 points, while teenage sensation Kelly Olynyk finished with 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

The guard play has been a pleasant surprise for France, which was thought to be the team’s weakness without Parker. But point guards Yannick Bokolo and Andrew Albicy have been solid, and shooting guard Gelabale has played well on both ends. Bokolo, who plays for French club Gravelines Dunkerque, is a 6-foot-3 physical guard who, unlike Parker, is not a liability on defense. Albicy (5-10) doesn’t have a lot of size, but he brings a nice change of pace from Bokolo. Gelabale played three seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics before returning to Cholet.

And even though Diaw looks like he’s been hanging out at In-N-Out Burger too many times this offseason, the Charlotte Bobcats’ forward has been a big player on offense, mainly with his passing. Against Canada, Diaw had eight points, six rebounds and five assists.

Koffi and Ian Mahinmi have done a decent job in the middle. Koffi is averaging 11 points and five rebounds, while Mahinmi – who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks – is averaging seven points and four rebounds.

France is probably not going to win the gold medal in Turkey, but at least the basketball team is doing a lot better than the shamed soccer team.

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After posting a perfect record during pool competition, the French national team were far from perfect in its 86-66 loss to Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2009 European Championships.

The devastating one-sided defeat is just the latest in a long line of disappointments for France on the international stage since 2000 when it captured the silver medal in the Olympic Games. Despite a roster that boasts several NBA players, France has never finished higher than fourth in the FIBA World Championships (and that was in 1954), hasn’t finished higher than third in the past five European Championships, including a shocking eighth-place finish in 2007, and has failed to qualify in the past two Olympics.

France, led by Tony Parker and Ronny Turiaf, was eliminated by Spain in the 2009 European Championships.

There is no reason for France to be a mediocre player in international basketball. Les Bleus is one of just a handful of countries in the world that can field a legitimate NBA starting lineup, starting with point guard Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), swingman Nicolas Batum (Portland Trail Blazers), swingman Mickael Pietrus (Orlando Magic), forward Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats) and center Ronny Turiaf (Golden State Warriors). Off the bench, it can call on Mickael Gelabale (Oklahoma City Thunder), Johan Petro (Denver Nuggets), Yakhouba Diawara (Miami Heat) and Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls).

France has sent more players to the NBA than Spain, but yet the Spaniards have enjoyed much more success.

That was evident during the quarterfinals of this year’s European Championships as Spain, led by Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol, played at a much higher level, running up a 23-12 lead early and extending the gap from there with hot shooting and a smothering defense.

“That was a tough game for us,” Diaw said. “They just played better than us from the first to the last minute. We were behind them pretty much the whole game, and trying to come back on a great team like Spain is tough.”

Gasol led Spain with 28 points and nine rebounds, dominating in the paint on both ends by muscling down low for baskets on the offensive end, and blocking three shots and altering more on the defensive side. And that was despite France throwing Turiaf, Diaw and Florent Pietrus at him.

“It’s no surprise — he’s one of the best players in the world,” Diaw said of Gasol. “Obviously it’s difficult to play against him. You have to double-team him and because they have great players around, you can’t help because they have (Rudy) Fernandez and (Juan Carlos) Navarro who are great shooters.”

Florent’s brother, Mickael, did not play in this year’s Euro Finals, as did Petro, Gelabale, Diawara and Noah. Because France did not have its full compliment of NBA standouts, it was forced to rely heavily on Parker, who struggled against Spain’s suffocating defense.

Spain coach Sergio Scariolo praised his team’s defensive effort, singling out Ricky Rubio and Raul Lopez for limiting Parker – the undeniable star and face of the French national team – to just six points on 1-of-6 shots from the field and had three turnovers. The Spurs’ All-Star point guard had been averaging 16 points per game.

“They did a fantastic job on Tony,” Scariolo said. “They were supported by the team, of course, but the individual effort was unbelievable.”

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