SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker was spectacular in the first half of Game 4 on Thursday, and showed no ill effects of the Grade 1 hamstring strain that he suffered in the previous game. He was quick, energetic, and explosive, and completed some spectacular plays that kept the Spurs right there with the Heat through the first two quarters.
After Parker scored 15 points and dished out six assists in 18 first half minutes, he went scoreless the rest of the game, finishing 0-for-4 from the field while playing just 13 minutes over the final two periods.
With two days off before a critical Game 5, Parker expects that the layoff will help him get healthy to the point where he can be a factor for the entire game, instead of just for half of it.
“It’s going to be huge for me,” Parker said after Game 4. “Obviously, definitely got fatigued in the second half. Those two days I’m going to make sure I do a lot of treatment and get to 100 percent. Tonight I was not 100 percent, but by Sunday that’s my goal, to be good to go.”
Parker reported good news on Friday, telling Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he was feeling better, and felt “no extra pain” the morning after playing more than 31 minutes.
Parker was the Spurs’ leading scorer during the regular season, and averaged 20.3 points and 7.6 assists. His numbers are down a bit in the Finals due to scoring just six points in Game 3 (where he tweaked the hamstring), as well as that scoreless second half on Thursday. But the way he initiates his team’s offense and gets them into their sets, he is as vital to their overall success as anyone else on the roster.
The Spurs will need a healthy Parker to meet their goal of winning two of the next three games in the series, so they’ll certainly take his report as a positive -- especially with two days still to go until Sunday’s Game 5 tips off.