Raptors lose to Maccabi Tel Aviv

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Maccabi 105, Raptors 103
October 16, 2005

TORONTO (AP) -- The Toronto Raptors lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv in an exhibition game Sunday, the first time an NBA team has been beaten by an international club since 1988.

Despite Toronto playing its starters most of the way, Anthony Parker's jumper with 0.8 seconds left lifted Israel's premier basketball team over the Raptors 105-103.

``To lose is unacceptable,'' Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. ``To say, `To lose to a team like that,' would be disrespecting them. ... You have to respect what they've done, you've got to respect their effort.''

Parker, who played in the NBA for Philadelphia and Orlando, finished with 24 points. Nikola Vujcic added 21 points and 10 rebounds for Maccabi.

Chris Bosh had 27 points and 12 rebounds in 45 minutes, and Jalen Rose had 18 points in 41 minutes for Toronto.

``They played this game like it was their championship game, and rightfully so,'' Rose said. ``Those guys are hungry for NBA jobs.''

Toronto's loss was just the second by an NBA team in the 28 games held since the NBA sanctioned international competitions in 1987. The Atlanta Hawks lost to the Soviet national team 132-123 in 1988.

Maccabi, the winner of 45 of 51 Israeli titles and three of the last five Euroleague championships, had lost nine straight exhibition games against NBA teams since beating the then-champion Washington Bullets in 1978.

``This is history,'' Maccabi center Yaniv Green said. ``They are still talking about (Maccabi's win over the Bullets) and I'm sure 20 years from now, they will still be talking about this one.''

Green blocked Rose's layup attempt and Mike James' jumper before Will Solomon gave Tel Aviv a 95-93 lead with a 3-pointer -- their first lead since the first quarter.

James' driving layup tied it at 103 with 19 seconds left.

But Parker -- isolated with Morris Peterson guarding him-- made a jumper with a hand in his face to give Maccabi the lead. Peterson missed a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

``We got beat,'' Mitchell said. ``We knew those guys were going to play hard playing against an NBA team. They came out to prove something. It doesn't matter who you play or how good you think you are, you've got to come here to play.''

Many of the 17,281 in attendance were fans of Maccabi. The consular general for Israel in Toronto slapped hands and joined the team in the celebration as NBA commissioner David Stern hurriedly walked off the court.

``Everywhere we go, it's such a great organization to be a part of,'' Parker said. ``We always have great fans following wherever we are. It was really fun, it's fun to be a part of history.''

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