Tony Parker has strained hamstring, could miss Game 1

Patty Mills has chance to shine after Tony Parker suffers hamstring injury

+The Associated Press

Spurs claimed an unassailable 4-1 lead over Portland in their playoff to reach the Western Conference final courtesy of a 104-82 rout in game five.

DESTINY is calling for Patty Mills

Patty Mills #8 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts as his team defeats the Portland Trail Blazers in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals. Source: AFP

The Australian +NBA star could find himself in the high-pressure position of +San Antonio Spurs’ starting point guard after superstar Patty Mills was struck down with a grade one hamstring strain.

Mills showed he is up to the task by racking up 18 points and three steals against his former team, the +Portland Trail Blazers, on Thursday after Parker left the court in the second quarter.

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Mills’ efforts were instrumental in propelling San Antonio to a series-clinching 104-82 victory over Portland, ensuring their progression to the Western Conference finals where they will play the +Oklahoma City Thunder.

Mills has impressed the Spurs with his performances off the bench this season. He was also a significant factor in San Antonio’s 11-3 record in the 14 games Parker missed during the season.

“Patty Mills has been a significant part of our success all year long,” Spurs coach Greg Popovich told +The Oregonian on Thursday. “Tonight was really no different than what he has done for us all year long. He has been magnificent.”

Mills said his game had evolved in the three seasons since he departed Portland for San Antonio.

“Definitely — I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better since then,” Mills said. “I’ve kind of been annoying in picking (Tony Parker and Tim Duncan’s) brain and trying to get better.

“Obviously, I didn’t play last year and much the year before here, but I’ve definitely felt myself getting better as a player just from sitting, learning, watching and seeing it go through on a daily basis. It’s an opportunity that you don’t want to go to waste. I’m here, I want to make the most of it and to learn from these guys any way possible.”

Patty Mills battles Thomas Robinson #41 of the Portland Trail Blazers for a loose ball in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals. Source: AFP

Parker is a day-to-day proposition ahead of the Spurs’ NBA Western Conference finals.

The Spurs made the announcement on Thursday, a day off after eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers in game five of the semi-finals. Parker missed the entire second half of the clincher. Just as the Spurs appeared to be finding their playoff legs and asserting themselves as the team to beat in the powerful Western Conference, Parker’s gave out. He felt his left hamstring tighten early in the second quarter, went to the locker room to get it examined and only played briefly before calling it a night.

“If we want to have a chance to make it to the finals, we need him healthy,” said guard Manu Ginobili.

Parker suffered a grade-two strain of his right hamstring in game three of the +NBA Finals last season against the Miami Heat. He didn’t miss a game because of it, but the discomfort definitely limited effectiveness. He was nine for 35 in the last two games, including three for 12 for 10 points in the Game-seven loss at the +Miami HEAT.

Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs glares over at the bench in the second half of Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals. Source: AFP

But Parker told the +San Antonio Express-News that his latest injury wasn’t as serious as the one that bothered him last June. “It’s OK; not too bad,” Parker said. “Not as bad as the NBA Finals. NBA Finals was a grade two. This one is grade one. So should be fine for Monday.” The Spurs will host the opening game of the Western Conference finals on Monday if Oklahoma City defeat the Los Angeles Clippers in game six of their series on Thursday. If the series goes the full seven games, the next round will open on Wednesday in San Antonio.

This makes the Spurs’ five-game victory over the young Trail Blazers even more important. Parker will have at least four days off, perhaps as many as six, to rest and rehab his hamstring. “Luckily we have a couple of days,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said after the game. “It worries us, obviously. But he’s been going hard. He’s had a great series thus far, and it just kind of caught up with him.”

The Western Conference finals are to start on Monday vs the Thunder.