Below runs a clip of the record-breaker itself, a feed to who else but Tim Duncan; a full run of game highlights may be seen here.

With few seconds on the clock, French combo guard Nando “Aladdin” de Colo is the man that Valencia fans want to see handling the ball. Check out the acrobatic fashion by which he knocked down a half-court shot against Bilbao Basket just two weeks ago (too bad it didn’t count).

With Christmas coming, though, the San Antonio Spurs’ 2009 second-round draft pick may not be the man you want to get some wishes from. Here is the best Merry Christmas-idea he came up with, a video of himself bossing a kid (probably a conniving family member in real life) disguised as Santa Claus. If you are brave enough to watch to 2:50, you’ll even get some juicy behind-the-scenes material…

(Soundtrack by Peggy Lee and Twisted Sister.)

Enrico Cellini is lifelong basketball fanatic and a long-time sportswriter with a focus on Italy and Spain. He was born among European hoops, was raised watching the NBA, and thinks choosing between American and European basketball is like choosing between one’s mother and father. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his Italian-language blog Hoop Addicted.

Check out the below video for Harley on a breakaway jam, reaching a stratospheric height to slam home an easy two – and then check out the gray hair-inducing manner in which he falls to Earth like Icarus. Luckily, notes Basket Europe, Harley was “more frightened than hurt” and was able to finish the game.

Whoever questions NBA stars’ ability to adapt to the European game may see Parker’s performance of last night to be a partial answer: The locked-out San Antonio Spur essentially iced EuroCup Player of the Week honors in scoring 34 points for Asvel, including 13 in his team’s high-flying 29-point fourth quarter. Parker also dished five assists and added one steal to his stat line.

Meanwhile, Ronny Turiaf came off the bench to become one of Asvel’s five double-digit scorers, contributing 12 points and five rebounds over 25 minutes in the win.

Official game writeup follows the break.

(Eurocup Basketball) – With a virtuoso performance from one of its owners, Asvel Basket delighted its home fans by downing two-time champion Valencia 87-78 on Tuesday in the Group D opener for both teams.

Point guard and part-owner Tony Parker hit back-to-back three-pointers with under four minutes remaining to break open what was a two-point game. Parker finished with 34 points, with 13 in the final four minutes. Ronny Turiaf added 12 points for Asvel, Dijon Thompson and Edwin Jackson 11 each, and Kim Tillie 10.

For Valencia, Nik Caner-Medley downed 19 points, Serhiy Lishchuk had a double-double of 16 and 12 rebounds, while Rafa Martinez added 12 points, Stefan Markovic 10. Asvel’s advantage of nine three-pointers made – with Parker and Edwin Jackson hitting three apiece – to just four for Valencia was the difference.

Both teams established inside points for their big men early, until Parker landed a three that put Asvel up, 7-6. Caner-Medley took the lead right back for Valencia on a three-point combination, and soon had nine points early on another basket to tie it up at 13-13. The game’s sixth tie would be broken on a three-point play by Parker to which Turiaf added an inside basket to take control for Asvel, 20-15, after 10 minutes.

Rafa Martinez got Valencia closer with the second quarter’s first basket, but Asvel responded with a 9-0 run that featured a steal and a block by Dijon Thompson plus five points from Parker for a 29-17 advantage. Florent Pietrus ended the drought with a layup for Valencia, but Parker was on fire, answering with a layup as he reached 13 points. When Jackson buried a triple, Asvel was up 15 points, 34-19. Martinez and Markovic cut into the Asvel lead, then Rihards Kuksiks kept it going until Valencia went on an 8-0 run to go into the locker room having cut the difference almost in half to 34-27.

Lishchuk dunked and Martinez downed a triple to get Valencia even closer, 36-32, soon after halftime, but Thompson answered from deep for Asvel. A breakneck pace surprisingly favored Valencia, as layups by Nando De Colo and Caner-Medley made it 39-38. Parker and Turiaf revived Asvel with an acrobatic layup and a dunk, respectively, to pull out to a 43-38 lead.

Lishchuk and Markovic struck back for Valencia, but Jackson’s next triple kept Asvel ahead, and when Parker found Thompson for another, the hosts led 55-47. Kuksiks came off Valencia’s bench for a three-pointer that Rodrigo San Miguel soon matched, as the difference was reduced to 58-55 after three quarters of play.

Martinez made it a two-point game with free throws to open the final stanza, but those were answered threefold, as Phillip Goss and Jackson scored from long range to boost Asvel to a 64-57 advantage. Valencia wouldn’t go away, however, as De Colo pumped in a corner triple at 69-67 with four minutes left. Parker had seen enough, however, and returned from a timeout to blast back-to-back three-pointers and make it 75-67. When Thompson soon downed a layup and Parker two free throws, it was 80-71. One more Parker jumper gave him 31 points and his team a double-digit lead to send Asvel on its way to a big home victory to start the Eurocup season.

Basket: l'ASVEL en chute libre?

Official press release on the giddy night and highlight video from last year’s Unics Kazan-Cajasol final runs below the break.

(Eurocup Basketball) – The tipoff on Tuesday of the season-opening game between Spartak and Cedevita in in St. Petersburg, Russia will mean that the Eurocup’s 10th-anniversary season has begun, too! Over that decade, thousands of basketball players from 127 different clubs have entertained more than a million fans in 27 countries across the continent. The Eurocup, originally known as the ULEB Cup, has brought elite-level basketball to arenas and audiences all overEurope and the world. As such, it has also played a major role in the continued growth of the basketball not just throughout Europe, but globally, with Eurocup teams having been home to Olympic, World, European, South American, African and Oceanic champions over the last decade.

The reach that the Eurocup has enjoyed cannot be overstated. Among the 27 countries that have competed, 17 of them have had at least three different clubs participate, which shows how the Eurocup has met its goal of broadening the talent and fan bases of the game. Similarly, some of Europe’s major national leagues have seen 10 or more teams qualify, showing that the Eurocup can also be a springboard for important basketball growth projects. Indeed, 11 of the 24 teams now competing in the 2011-12 Turkish Airlines Euroleague have played at least one season in the Eurocup. The inclusive nature of the Eurocup is even greater, if possible, when it comes to the competition’s exposure on television. Eurosport, beginning its seventh season as broadcasting partner of the competitions, brings Eurocup action to more than 50 million homes in 57 countries and 17 languages.

This season, 32 teams from eight countries will vie for the honor of lifting the Eurocup’s 10th-anniversary title. The winner’s journey will last 16 games through countless hours of travel to many countries. At the end of a decade’s worth of great basketball, it will have proven to be a journey well worth the effort for clubs, players and fans alike.

“This decade of dedication to the Eurocup on the part of the clubs is evidence that our sport is always finding new and ambitious projects, markets and fan bases,” Euroleague Basketball president and CEO Jordi Bertomeu said. “The Eurocup stands for inclusiveness. Any club ready to grow and prosper in the right ways on and off the court can aspire to this elite competition, where their efforts will be rewarded.”

Turiaf looked good enough in his first game since injuring his hand in a friendly match leading up to the 2011 EuroBasket tournament, going for nine points (including one effusive dunk early on; see below Asvel-based YouTube clip), eight rebounds (four offensive), three assists and five fouls drawn in 25 minutes of court time.

Unfortunately for Asvel, they were totally outclassed by the Euroleaguers and went down in defeat, 92-77. Victor Samnick put in 25 points as Nancy didn’t mind losing the battle of the boards, 41-29.

Turiaf himself reportedly appeared fatigued in the game, and Asvel coach Pierre Vincent explained in the post-game that “I had no plans to play [Turiaf] so much. I left him in at the end of the game because of his play and his experience.”

Parker, who threatened a triple-double with 20 points (though a woeful 6-of-24 overall from the floor), eight rebounds and nine assists, was quoted as saying that “It’s not easy for him since he hasn’t played for two months. He was a little apprehensive about playing with the hand, but even so he had a good performance.”

In three LNB games with Cholet, the Houston Rockets draft pick out of the University of Florida, Parsons managed averages of 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game. In his sole Euroleague appearance, Parsons played for 16 minutes in a 77-70 Qualifying Round loss to Cibona Zagreb, scoring two points to go with five rebounds and two assists.

No specific reason has been given for Parsons’ departure, and in Saturday’s match against Tony Parker’s Asvel Villeurbanne, the prospective Rocket played 27 minutes to contribute nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Parker’s first public appearance at the Angers-Loire airport was naturally YouTube-worthy … would you believe screaming girls…?

And prior to the game, Tony took time to sign autographs to a bit of a throng of fans, as seen in the newsy portion of the below clip – yeah, that’s Ronny Turiaf hanging out there, still dressed in street clothes.

Following the public appearance and hype, a few highlights follow, including a just wicked steal by Parker at about 0:50.

And more … the Cholet office itself put together this clip of more goodwill from Parker, plus a bit of Asvel’s practice session. (Hey, look! There’s Turiaf hanging out again!) D’ya think French basketball is excited about having Tony back home…?

After three matches, Parker is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 28.0 minutes per game. Asvel Villeurbanne is currently 2-2 in LNB play; they host defending champions/Euroleague side SLUC Nancy, currently alone atop the LNB table at 4-0, on Sunday evening.