Tony Parker 'ready to go' for Game 4 of NBA Finals
SAN ANTONIO – Tony Parker's strained hamstring apparently won't keep him from trying to play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Parker participated in the San Antonio Spurs' morning shootaround and coach Gregg Popovich declared him "ready to go."
Parker repeated the same assessment three times – "I will be ready to go" – without any elaboration.
The Spurs didn't specify whether Parker will start or how many minutes he will receive. Nor can they be sure how effective he will be. Parker relies on his quickness and change of speed to create plays for himself and his teammates.
On Wednesday, 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 on Wednesday. "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.
Manu Ginobili, Gary Neal and backup point guard Cory Joseph will share in the ball-handling duties, based on how many minutes Parker plays. If the Spurs held out Parker from Game 4, he would get four days of rest before Sunday's Game 5.
"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."
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," Heat coach Erik 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."
NBA Finals coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• LeBron James regressing – for the moment – to dark days of Finals disaster against Mavericks
• Spurs dominate Game 3 despite lack of star power
• Danny Green, Gary Neal lead Finals-record charge as Spurs crush impotent Heat
• Y! Sports Fan Shop: Buy 2013 NBA Finals merchandise
