SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker sat and watched as his teammates practiced Wednesday afternoon. The Spurs hope Parker won't be doing the same during Thursday night's Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Tony Parker says he and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will decide his status on Thursday. (USA Today Sports)The Spurs officially listed Parker with a grade 1 right hamstring strain – the least severe – and called his status day-to-day. Parker suffered the injury in the second half of the Spurs' 113-77 Game 3 victory over the Miami Heat.
"The good news is it's not a tear, it's not a defect," Parker said. "Now I just have to see how I'm going to feel [Thursday]."
Parker is averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 assists through the Finals' first three games. He had six points and eight assists in 27 minutes in Game 3 before getting hurt.
If Parker doesn't play Thursday, he will have had four days of rest before Sunday's Game 5. Parker said he doesn't feel unnecessary pressure to play and will make the decision with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich based on how he feels Thursday.
"Coach Pop always prefers the rest, to avoid injury," Parker said. "If it was the regular season I would definitely have rest. I would not play. And same thing here, it's an injury, and so we'll see.
"Obviously it's The Finals, you know. I know Pop is always going to prefer we take no risk."
The Spurs will likely start Cory Joseph if Parker can't play. Joseph averaged 7.2 points and 3.1 assists in nine games as a starter this season. Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal can share in the ball-handling duties, and the Spurs' No. 3 point guard is Patty Mills.
"I just try to look at the game the same no matter how much playing time I get, whatever it is," Joseph said. "I just try to go out there and help my team and let the game take care of itself."
While Miami would benefit if Parker can't play, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says he's not thinking that way. The Spurs lead the Finals 2-1 with the next two games in San Antonio.
"If we bring the level of effort and focus that we brought last night, it doesn't matter who plays for them," Spoelstra said. "We're hoping he plays. We want both teams to be healthy. We don't want any excuses and they don't want any excuses either."
Credit to: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--tony-parker-hopes-to-feel-well-enough-to-play-in-game-4-of-nba-finals-225223655.html
Tony Parker says he and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will decide his status on Thursday. (USA Today Sports)The Spurs officially listed Parker with a grade 1 right hamstring strain – the least severe – and called his status day-to-day. Parker suffered the injury in the second half of the Spurs' 113-77 Game 3 victory over the Miami Heat.
"The good news is it's not a tear, it's not a defect," Parker said. "Now I just have to see how I'm going to feel [Thursday]."
Parker is averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 assists through the Finals' first three games. He had six points and eight assists in 27 minutes in Game 3 before getting hurt.
If Parker doesn't play Thursday, he will have had four days of rest before Sunday's Game 5. Parker said he doesn't feel unnecessary pressure to play and will make the decision with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich based on how he feels Thursday.
"Coach Pop always prefers the rest, to avoid injury," Parker said. "If it was the regular season I would definitely have rest. I would not play. And same thing here, it's an injury, and so we'll see.
"Obviously it's The Finals, you know. I know Pop is always going to prefer we take no risk."
The Spurs will likely start Cory Joseph if Parker can't play. Joseph averaged 7.2 points and 3.1 assists in nine games as a starter this season. Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal can share in the ball-handling duties, and the Spurs' No. 3 point guard is Patty Mills.
"I just try to look at the game the same no matter how much playing time I get, whatever it is," Joseph said. "I just try to go out there and help my team and let the game take care of itself."
While Miami would benefit if Parker can't play, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says he's not thinking that way. The Spurs lead the Finals 2-1 with the next two games in San Antonio.
"If we bring the level of effort and focus that we brought last night, it doesn't matter who plays for them," Spoelstra said. "We're hoping he plays. We want both teams to be healthy. We don't want any excuses and they don't want any excuses either."
Credit to: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--tony-parker-hopes-to-feel-well-enough-to-play-in-game-4-of-nba-finals-225223655.html
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