There was speculation that San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker was not going to be able to play in Game 1 of the Finals against the Heat. Parker said "I feel better. I'll do my best to feel the best I can and give everything I can for the first game."
Gregg Popovich said that Parker is improving daily and expects him to start on Thursday. Parker said recently on France’s RMC Sport radio that he originally injured the ankle in Game 4 of the first round series with Dallas. He speculates that this led to his hamstring strain in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals.
“I think my body said, ‘That’s enough,’” said Parker, the Spurs’ leading playoff scorer at 17.2 points per game. “I wanted to play. Pop was like no, we never know for Game 7. I understand where he was coming from, but it was hard to look from the locker room. At the same time I was proud of my teammates. They stepped up big. It was a huge win for us. Those five days are big for us to prepare.”
