Bleacher Report - Tony Parker

Spurs Announcer Sean Elliott Says French Stereotypes Don't Apply to Tony Parker

Dan Carson — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:50:17 -0400

Ever try to give someone a compliment and end up deriding an entire European nation?

Me neither, but Spurs TV announcer Sean Elliott somehow managed to end up on the wrong side of that congratulatory coin while praising the gritty nature of Tony Parker to the San Antonio Express-News, according to NextImpulseSports.

In the interview with the Express-News, the former Spurs forward-turned-sportscaster complimented Parker on the toughness he has exhibited in the 2013 NBA playoffs, saying he’s nothing like most Frenchman.

Everything they’ve said about French people doesn’t apply to him. It just doesn’t apply. He’s as tough as they come. And I promise you, if he was in a bigger market, they would be comparing him to a guy like (former NBA star) AI (Allen Iverson), who took the hits and fell all the time.

Ouch.

As you can see, Elliott’s remarks were meant to be supportive of Parker and the way he’s managed to help his team this postseason, but they strayed into territory that French basketball fans (and people in general) will likely have an issue with.

Elliott's comments sparked different reactions from fans. Some were more understanding than others.

Geez guys… Sean Elliott’s Tony Parker comments couldn’t be more tongue-in-cheek. He jokes about him all the time. But twitter wins again.
— Matthew R Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) June 18, 2013

+1 @KDonhoops:'maybe next time we can[..]laud 1 of the better point guards[..]without denigrating an entire country' http://t.co/yMSlqP2PDG
— Nico (@Nicolas_Albert1) June 18, 2013

Elliott himself isn’t exactly empowering negative French stereotypes—he’s saying that Parker is proving those misnomers wrong. The reality, however, is that even alluding to French cowardice is a bad idea, and people will take it as a slight.

Another unfortunate part of this whole scenario is that Elliott is an authority on toughness. The man came back from a kidney transplant in 2000. He’s right when he’s says that Parker has the heart of a champion, but he's managed to muddle his own message.

Now if he only can find ways to express that without conjuring up white flags and “We saved their bacon at Normandy!” platitudes, we can move on from this triviality and get to the point.

Tony Parker is a B.A. ‘Nuff said.

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Tony Parker: 'I Can't Believe' Danny Green Is Still Open vs. Miami Heat

Dan Favale — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:34:51 -0400

Tony Parker is miffed by Danny Green's NBA Finals performance.

Not so much that the San Antonio Spurs' point man is shocked Green has played so well. More like he's amazed the Miami Heat have yet to defend him properly.

“I can’t believe he’s still open at this moment in the series,” Parker proclaimed following San Antonio's Game 5 victory, according to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated.

Proverbial shots fired.

Parker's gentle befuddlement is about as close to an insult as the Spurs will give. That's not even what it's meant as. Parker is truly perplexed that the Heat continue to leave Green open.

The fourth-year shooting guard has connected on 25 three-pointers through the first five games of the Finals, breaking Ray Allen's previous record of 22. Those 25 treys have come on just 38 attempts, giving Green a 65.8 percent clip from beyond the arc.

So yeah, Parker is confused as to how the Heat continue to let that happen.

“They are still trapping me and doubling [Tim Duncan], and Danny is wide open," Parker explained. "He’s shooting the ball well. If you are going to leave Danny wide open, he’s going to make threes.”

That may be the understatement of these playoffs.

Green has drilled at least five deep balls three times during the finals and is just the fifth NBA player since 1986 to convert on at least seven in the same finals game. He's been finding the bottom of the net all series.

Really, he's been swishing threes since the postseason began.

Green is converting on 51.5 percent of his attempts from behind the rainbow for the playoffs, making him the first player in NBA history to knock down at least 50 percent of his triples while hoisting up more than 100 of them. That's unbelievable, though not as outlandish as the Heat still leaving him uncontested.

“He’s making some hell of a shots,” Miami's Dwyane Wade said of Green.

Shots he'll continue to make so long as the Heat continue to let him.

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Is Danny Green the Favorite for NBA Finals MVP If Spurs Win?

Grant Hughes — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:39:56 -0400

Yet again, Danny Green was unconscious from long distance in the San Antonio Spurs' Game 5 win over the Miami Heat. But even if he continues to knock down triples at a record pace, he probably won't be the favorite to win the NBA Finals MVP.

Though Green's long-range sniping has been otherworldly, Tony Parker has meant so much more to the Spurs' success.

That's no shot at the Spurs shooting guard, who poured in 24 points and went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the Spurs' 114-104 victory. His performance Sunday night, as well as his consistent perimeter brilliance throughout the series, is a huge reason why San Antonio is now just one win away from hoisting another banner into the AT&T Center rafters.

Green hasn't just been brilliant so far; he's been historically good. His 25 made threes (in just five games) are already a finals record. A quick glance at his series shot chart shows just how locked-in he's been.

But the good looks he's been enjoying don't just materialize out of thin air. Sometimes, transition looks open up because either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade are hanging back to complain about non-calls—a particular problem in Game 5. In other instances, San Antonio's deft inside-out passing creates opportunities.

In most cases, though, Green is the beneficiary of Parker's ability to force the Heat defense into difficult positions. When Parker penetrates, he makes the Heat send a second defender to help contain him in the lane. If the Heat are too late in sending that help, one of Parker's patented floaters is almost certain to drop softly through the net.

And if the Heat do provide help to Parker's primary defender, the point guard simply kicks the ball out to an open shooter. The Heat recover well because of their athleticism, so sometimes that first shooter has to move the ball to a second option on the perimeter.

San Antonio lives by the motto "good to great," which embodies their philosophy of ball movement and unselfishness. Players routinely give up good shots to create great ones for the next man in line. As the ball whips around the perimeter after Parker starts the whole process, it can end up in just about anybody's hands.

But in this series, the end result of plays, like the one generally described above, has often been an open shot for Green.

As a scorer totally dependent on setups from his teammates, Green's success is largely determined by how well the rest of the Spurs offense is functioning. Coach Gregg Popovich jokingly alluded to some of Green's limitations in his comments after Game 5.

Pop certainly didn't intend to knock Green, but there's a lot of truth to what he said. Parker, on the other hand, has plenty of moves. What's more, he's the guy who is most responsible for making sure the Spurs' team-wide offensive movement gets going in the first place.

The Frenchman's numbers, though somewhat overshadowed by Green's 18.0 points on 66 percent shooting from three in the series, are still excellent. Parker has averaged 16.2 points, 6.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds on 49 percent shooting in the finals.

Plus, he nailed a crucial shot that helped the Spurs secure Game 1 in the waning seconds.

Even if numbers were all that factored into MVP selection, Parker would have a strong case for earning his second such honor. But because San Antonio is almost wholly dependent on its point guard's penetration to kick-start its offense, it's impossible to ignore just how important he has been to the team's success.

Anything could happen over the next one (or two) games in this series. If Parker slumps and Green somehow continues his historic run, the front-runner for MVP could change. In fact, if Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili put together a fantastic performance or two, either of them could conceivably walk away with the hardware.

And if the Heat go on to win Games 6 and 7, this is obviously a very different conversation. But assuming the Spurs do take care of business in one of the next two games in something approximating their three wins so far, it's going to be difficult to justify denying Parker the award.

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NBA Finals 2013: Key Factors for Game 5

Nate Levinson — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:13:25 -0400

With huge performances from stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat evened up their series with the San Antonio Spurs.

A crucial Game 5 is next.

Wade, Spurs point guard Tony Parker and San Antonio's three-point shooting will be the biggest factors in deciding who takes the series lead.

After averaging just 14.2 points per game in the first 18 games of the postseason, Wade turned in a vintage performance for the ages in Game 4, scoring 32 points on 56 percent shooting to go along with six steals.

"Wade looked like one of the five best players in the world," said Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated

The Heat's star shooting guard has the ability to look like one of the best in every game, and if the Heat are going to take Game 5, they'll need him to repeat his latest great performance.

The Heat have an impeccable track record recently in games in which Wade scores over 20 points.

After averaging 23 points per game in the Spurs' first three playoff series, Tony Parker has been relatively quiet in the Finals against the Heat. In the first four games of this series, he's averaged just 13.8 points per game and reached a low point in Game 4 when he scored no points in the second half.

By all accounts, Parker is the engine that makes the well-oiled Spurs' machine go. When he's not at his best, it puts the onus on a number of players not capable of handling a bigger load offensively.

The Spurs point guard is battling a hamstring injury, but he'll have two full days of rest before Game 5 to get healthy and back to his dynamic ways.

In the first four games of the Finals, the Spurs have made over 45 percent of their 91 attempted three-point shots. In order to win Game 5, they'll need to continue this long-range shooting success.

Manu Ginobili has looked like a shell of his former self all series and the Spurs have had to rely on perimeter players Danny Green and Gary Neal to make big shots from behind the arc.

Thus far, the two have responded in a big way. They've made 31 of the Spurs' 41 threes and at this point it seems more surprising when they miss than when they make from deep.

Without a fully healthy Parker, the Spurs will need to continue making threes at the same amazing pace in order to take down the Heat in Game 5.

I expect Parker to rebound and have a solid Game 5, but a reinvigorated Wade will ultimately prove too much for the Spurs to contend with.

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Tony Parker Says He Wasn't 100 Percent in Game 4, Gregg Popovich Says Otherwise

Grant Hughes — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:53:42 -0400

Something was wrong with Tony Parker in the second half of the San Antonio Spurs' 109-93 Game 4 loss to the Miami Heat, but the mixed signals coming from coach Gregg Popovich and the point guard aren't clearing up the source of his struggles.

UPDATED by Zach Buckley at 9:10 p.m. ET on June 14

Parker told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports he was "feeling better" and experienced "no extra pain" on Friday morning.

--END OF UPDATE

According to Parker, his tender hamstring was the reason for his post-break swoon.

Tony Parker on his hamstring: "[The next] 2 days, I'm going to make sure I do a lot of treatment and get to 100%. Tonight, I was not 100%."
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 14, 2013

Popovich, on the other hand, was quick to shoot down any talk of injury.

Gregg Popovich said Tony Parker is "fine'' and that his hamstring had nothing to do with shaky 2nd half. http://t.co/2PdFP22aVd
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) June 14, 2013

Instead, he gave the Heat credit for scheming to contain Parker.

"Miami did a great job on [Tony Parker in the second half]. They doubled and got the ball out of his hands." - Gregg Popovich
— The NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 14, 2013

You'd think that Parker's word would be dispositive, considering it's his hamstring and he's got no reason to concoct an excuse. But Popovich's word is law in San Antonio, so it's hard to pin down where the truth really lies.

Of course, the fact that the Spurs coach was fully apprised of his point guard's situation at halftime tends to give Parker's story the edge.

Parker had to convince Pop to let him play, said he felt fatigued and couldn't get his lift in the second half.
— Paul Flannery (@Pflanns) June 14, 2013

Leave it to Popovich, the NBA's version of Bill Belichick, to try to preserve any available advantage by obscuring the truth. He's got nothing to gain by letting the Heat know that Parker is hobbled, so it makes sense that he's withholding information.

At any rate, Parker clearly wasn't right after halftime. He played brilliantly in the first two quarters, amassing 15 points and inspiring some to want to put the hamstring issue to bed for good.

I think we're done talking about Tony Parker's hamstring, right?
— Matt Winer (@matt_winer) June 14, 2013

After leaving Game 3 early to deal with the injury, Parker was right back to his usual tricks in Game 4, showing no ill effects and pulling off a couple of circus shots to boot.

Maybe the inactivity of halftime caused the hammy to tighten up. Or perhaps Parker tweaked it just before the break. Whatever the cause, Parker went scoreless in the second half, missing all four of his field-goal attempts.

As you might imagine, this is a problem for the Spurs going forward.

Manu Ginobili has been functioning as the team's primary ball-handler when Parker rests, but the Argentine reserve has been playing some of the worst basketball of his career in these NBA Finals. If Parker is hampered, San Antonio will have to choose between running him out there at less than 100 percent or praying Ginobili finds a way to rediscover his vintage form.

Neither option seems especially palatable.

Parker is vitally important to the Spurs, but it's not just because he's a terrific scorer in his own right. It's also because he's the chaotic element that gets Miami's defense out of position. His ability to penetrate and draw help has led to plenty of open looks for his teammates throughout this series.

Tony Parker drive to the basket, kick out to an open Danny Green. Rinse. Repeat.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 14, 2013

If Parker can't play like himself, the Spurs are in trouble.

Just don't expect Popovich to tell you that.

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The Case for Tony Parker as Best Point Guard In The NBA Right Now

Michael Pina — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:00:02 -0400

Regardless of whether the San Antonio Spurs can capture an incredible five rings in 14 years or if the Miami Heat firmly establish themselves as a blooming dynasty in these NBA Finals, Tony Parker will walk away as the world's best point guard.

Right now, Parker is the most irreplaceable player on either the best or second-best basketball team in the world. He has been the most aggressive offensive player in a monstrous finals that contains at least six players who are guaranteed to one day make the Hall of Fame.

Parker is, and has been for a majority of his career, one of the hardest players to defend in the world. There are basically no weaknesses when he has the ball (he doesn't threaten defenses from the three-point line because he doesn't have to, not because he can't) and the Spurs' entire offense is designed to squeeze as much production from him as humanly possible.

Parker has had the good fortune of having been drafted by a great franchise, paired with a great player in Tim Duncan and nestled into a great system. He has also learned under one of the greatest coaches in the modern NBA.

Consequently, he is typically passed over by the public when it comes to any "Best Point Guard Alive" debate. The fact remains, however, that since winning the 2007 NBA Finals MVP, Parker has been nothing short of brilliant, routinely maximizing his ability on the grandest stage while still improving each year.

Over the past eight or nine years, point guard has been the most loaded position in the sport. That includes transcendental athletes like Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, to franchise-lifting leaders like Chris Paul and Steve Nash, to unanswerable problems like Rajon Rondo, to the next generation's crème de la crème of Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard.

The league hasn't been short on offering astonishing floor generals for a long time.

While Paul has been accepted as the league's best point guard for at least the past five years (all footage from his 2008-09 campaign, in which he averaged 22.8 points, 11.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 steals with a 50.3 field-goal percentage, 36.4 three-point and 86.8 free throw), belongs in a heavily guarded museum), it's Parker who has supplanted him as the game's best.

Parker is in his 12th postseason as the starting point guard for the Spurs. In March of 2010, he broke his hand, thrusting George Hill into the starting lineup for eight of San Antonio's 10 playoff games. Parker still came off the bench to average 17.3 points in 33.5 minutes despite straining a tendon in his right foot during the regular season finale.

He has been sublime this postseason in posting insane numbers and showing off the various ways he can succeed against the best defenses in the league.

Against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals, Parker went from being a scoring blur to playmaking craftsman in the blink of an eye, as if he adapted to Memphis' adjustments before they had a chance to execute them on the court. He averaged 24.5 points, 9.5 assists and 2.0 steals, shooting 53.2 percent from the floor.

So far this postseason, Parker is ninth in total minutes, third in points, second in assists, eighth in PER, fifth in usage percentage and fourth in win shares.

Most of these numbers are an accumulated tally, which seems unfair being that he has played more games than most other players in this year's playoffs, but isn't that the point? That he's played more games? That he's been crucial in helping his team advance in every round?

No matter how well he plays, Paul will always be in his way. Reputations are hard to shake loose once they're hardened in the NBA, and Paul being the league's best point guard is a perfect example.

Here's how Parker and Paul stacked up for the 2012-13 season. Being that they're the best players on their respective teams, group success is factored in.

Tony Parker: 66 starts, 32.9 minutes, 20.3 points, 7.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 free-throw attempts, 23.10 PER, 27.7 Usage Percentage, shooting split of 52.2 FG%, 35.3 3P% and 84.5 FT%, 9.3 Win Shares, Second Team All-NBA, All-Star.

Chris Paul: 70 starts, 33.4 minutes, 16.9 points, 9.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 4.6 free-throw attempts, 26.4 PER, 22.6 Usage Percentage, shooting splits of 48.1 FG%, 32.8 3P% and 88.5 FT%, 13.9 Win Shares, First Team All-NBA, All-Star.

On their way to winning the Pacific Division, the Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season at 56-26, but fell in six games to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

San Antonio went 58-24 in the regular season, winning the Southwest Division, then losing just two of 14 playoff games before reaching the NBA Finals.

Paul is a remarkable basketball player and one of the all-time great conductors of an NBA offense. He also happens to be one of the most feared late-game shot-takers in league history, an absolute stud with the game on the line and the ball in his hands.

He can get off just about any shot he wants. In Game 2 of Los Angeles' slugfest against Memphis, Paul sunk a game-winning floater that held an unfathomable degree of difficulty. But as great as Paul is, we're now eight seasons into his career and his postseason failures can't be overlooked any longer.

When he was a member of the New Orleans Hornets, anyone arguing for Paul as the best point guard would say he lifted his team higher than it deserved to go each year. But that point gets weaker as the talent around him gets better and his postseason narrative stays the same.

Paul is nowhere near the reason his teams haven't had success in the playoffs, but when tabbing a player as the absolute best, his team's performance must eventually be accounted for as well.

Let's compare the two some more in looking at who creates more problems for the defense.

Paul's spent the last two seasons in cruise control, going entire quarters setting up teammates as opposed to looking for his own shot, depending a bit too much on the elbow jumper (which, admittedly is automatic) and passing up open three-pointers.

Parker is relentless with the ball. Whenever a high screen comes, the roll man's defender panics, knowing that if he's out of position, Parker will beeline straight toward the rim or pull up for an open jumper.

Let's look at these two pick-and-rolls from Game 2 in Miami, with Parker being guarded by the best perimeter defender in the league, LeBron James, in both.

As soon as he sees James go below Duncan's screen, Parker confidently pulls up and drains the open jumper.

On the next possession, San Antonio sets up a side pick-and-roll in the same place. James goes underneath again, but gets knocked off balance by Duncan's screen. Parker sees a sliver of an opening and attacks it, scoring on a layup about a half-second later.

San Antonio's entire offense right now is geared towards putting Parker in positions to succeed, whether it be with a high or side screen-and-roll, or running him along the baseline through two picks to catch a pass and attack the basket.

Could Paul do this? Maybe, but he doesn't.

Paul treats the game like a mother on Thanksgiving who is responsible for cooking the feast, setting the table and making sure everyone has a good time. All his duties are exhausting. On the other hand, Parker likes to show up, smile and then proceed to stuff his face.

Much more is to take place in the future, but looking back on this era 25 years down the road, it's going to be extremely difficult to say any point guard was better than Tony Parker.

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Can San Antonio Spurs Keep Rolling with Hobbled Tony Parker?

Dan Favale — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:13:29 -0400

The San Antonio Spurs are bigger than Tony Parker.

Remember that. If the Spurs are forced to play Game 4 and beyond against the Miami Heat without Parker, remember they're not a pushover.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, an MRI revealed Parker strained his hamstring in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

"Hopefully, I will be good [Thursday]," Parker told Spears of the injury.

And hopefully he will be. Yet if he's not, the Spurs won't be incapable. They can still win; they can still beat the Heat without him.

It was Parker who put up MVP-caliber numbers during the regular season. It was Parker who promised Tim Duncan the Spurs would get back to the finals. And it was Parker who delivered on his pledge.

But he didn't do it alone.

One player hasn't carried San Antonio to where it is now. The Spurs are not who they are because they rely upon the efforts of one to sustain the majority.

Parker isn't the sole reason the Spurs are playing for their fourth title of the Big Three era. Duncan hasn't led San Antonio to four titles since 1999 on his own. Gregg Popovich hasn't been found bellowing obscenities in one player's direction.

They're a team, these Spurs. One that's bigger than Parker, bigger than Duncan, bigger than even the Big Three. They wouldn't be perennial title contenders if they weren't.

In Game 3, Parker scored six points and dished out eight assists. All six of those points and seven of those eight assists came in the first half, a stellar contribution even by Parker's standards. Still, the Spurs went into the locker room up by only six, leaving no room for error.

Taking Parker out of the game was the last thing the Spurs would've wanted to do, but they had no choice. Coach Pop took him out in the third, reinserted him later, only to take him out again early in the fourth quarter.

Risking further injury definitely factored into the decision to play Parker a smidgen over eight minutes in that second half. Mostly though, the Spurs didn't need him.

Despite their "best" player being held scoreless and notching only one assist in eight-plus minutes of burn, the Spurs went on to outscore Miami 63-33 in the latter two periods. They went on to win, taking a series lead and putting themselves in a position that has historically yielded a championship 92.3 percent of the time.

What's more is the Spurs didn't win Game 3 with Duncan or Ginobili picking up a majority of the offensive slack. Duncan went 5-of-11 from the floor for 12 points, and Ginobili went 3-of-7 for six. Yet they still won.

Behind a 27-point outburst from Danny Green and a 24-point explosion from Gary Neal, the Spurs throttled the Heat. For most of the second half, it wasn't even close. That's how deep the Spurs are; that's what they do.

Duncan took care of business on the glass with 14 rebounds (seven offensive), Ginobili made plays for his teammates (six assists) and Kawhi Leonard pitched in a double-double of his own. Then there were Green and Neal, leading the charge on the scoreboard.

Extract Parker from the lineup or restrict his abilities in any way and the Spurs are not better off. The Ewing Theory isn't going to apply in San Antonio, but Parker's health won't cripple the team either. These Spurs aren't built like that.

Each member of the team has his own role. Coupled with a selfless, never-say-die attitude, the Spurs are two victories away from another title.

We can't say Green will never miss again—though having hit 12 of his last 14 deep balls suggests he might only miss a few. Neal can't be counted on for 20-plus points every night. Leonard won't hold LeBron James to just 15 all the time.

Because the Spurs aren't perfect, and they don't need to be.

Parker, Duncan and Ginobili combined for 27 points in Game 2 and the Spurs got hammered by 19. They accounted for just 25 points in Game 3 and the Spurs won by 36.

Performances of both kind are going to happen. Reserves aren't always going to be able to carry the Spurs to victory when Parker and the Big Three can't get it going, a la Game 2. Yet they're also more than equipped to make up for a lack of production from Parker and anyone else on any given night like they did in Game 3.

That the Spurs are capable of the latter is far more important than anything else. With Parker, without Parker, they can do this.

They can still win.

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Tony Parker Injury: Updates on Spurs Star's Hamstring

Ryan Rudnansky — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:35:29 -0400

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker injured his hamstring in Tuesday's Game 3 victory over the Miami Heat.

UPDATE: Monday, June 17, at 12:25 a.m. ET by Eric Ball

Parker registered 26 points and five assists in the Spurs convincing 114-104 victory over the Heat. Despite his brilliance, it sounds as if he still is less than 100 percent according to Kurt Helin of Basketballtalk:

---End of update---

UPDATE: Sunday, June 16, at 2:35 p.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

Despite still struggling with a hamstring injury, Parker told reporters that he's good to go for tonight's pivotal Game 5 vs. Miami, per CBS Sports' Matt Moore.

Tony Parker said Sunday at shootaround before Game 5 of the Finals that he feels "good" and is ready to go in the last home game of the season for the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Miami Heat.

---End of update---

UPDATE: Saturday, June 15, at 1:58 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

ESPN's Michael Wallace passes along this quote from Parker, who sheds light on the severity of his injury:

---End of update---

UPDATE: Friday, June 14, at 12:59 a.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Parker finished with 15 points, nine assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes. However, he did comment after the game that he's still looking to get back to 100 percent for the next contest (via NBA on ESPN):

---End of update---

UPDATE: Thursday, June 13, at 11:30 a.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

Tony Parker will play in tonight's Game 4 matchup against Miami, per the team's official Twitter feed.

---End of update---

UPDATE: Wednesday, June 12, at 1:25 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

Tony Parker has a slightly sprained hamstring, as he stated on his Twitter feed in French. According to Google Translate, he said, "I just had MRI. Result: I suffer from a slight strain to the hamstring. We’ll see tomorrow how I feel, I really hope to play!" (via Pro Basketball Talk).

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports confirmed the news.

A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com noted that the injury is a Grade 1 strain.

---End of update---

Parker only had six points in the Spurs' 113-77 victory in San Antonio, but he also posted eight assists in 27-plus minutes. The Spurs star had averaged 22.3 points, 7.0 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 47.1 percent from the field this postseason heading into Game 3.

In 66 regular-season games, Parker averaged 20.3 points and 7.6 assists on 52.2 percent shooting (35.3 percent from three). His PER of 23.1 was among the top on the team behind Tim Duncan.

Parker is obviously critical to San Antonio's NBA Finals success, as he is the engine that runs the offense. As Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports noted:

The 31-year-old guard's been known to play through injury before, so, in case the injury is debilitating, I wouldn't be surprised if he hobbles onto the court for Game 4. After all, he promised to get Duncan another championship after the Spurs were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder last postseason.

The Spurs lead the series, 2-1, over the Heat. Game 4 tips off at 9 p.m. ET in San Antonio on Thursday.

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