San Antonio Spurs fans everywhere had to be feeling a little glum yesterday after word came down star point guard Tony Parker will miss the rest of the playoffs. A ruptured left quadriceps has put Parker on ice going forward, yet the Houston Rockets aren’t about to let up because, well, they know what the Spurs can do. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has more:
As horrible as the news of Parker’s ruptured quadriceps muscle had to be for the team the Rockets want to beat, it was bad news for the Rockets, too. Yet, as great a loss as Parker can be, the Rockets argued their Spurs will be all right.
“Man, he’s been a staple in their organization for so long that he’s done so many things for them, in the playoffs, throughout the regular season, that him not being there is going to be a huge hole for them,” forward Trevor Ariza said. “What he brings to their team, I don’t know how you replace that. Not saying they don’t have good enough players to step in. But what he brought to that team, I think it’s unmatched.”
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“You never want to see a player injured, especially a guy like TP, who is closing down at the end of his career,” Rockets guard James Harden said. “He’s been playing well all post-season. It’s tough. We say a prayer for him. Hopefully, he can recover and get better soon.
“You can take anybody off that roster and they’re a great team. Well coached. Very disciplined. It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup, who’s out of the lineup, they’re going to be good and we have to be ready and we have to be even better. Same system. Same players. Their leader, Kawhi (Leonard), is aggressive. But they do the same things.”
Patty Mills started the first game between the Rockets and Spurs this season as the Spurs went 15-4 when Mills started. Mills led the Spurs in net rating this season, with the Spurs outscoring opponents by 12 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.
“You know how (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) is; his team is a machine,” Rocket guard Pat Beverley said. “One person falls down; next person steps up. They are going to come out with a lot more energy, we understand that. It won’t be easy, but we are excited. We stole home court, and we have to protect home court now.
“It’s unfortunate what happened to Tony Parker. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge fan of his game. He’s always been a good person to me … always gave me words of wisdom. Me and my family are definitely praying for Tony. It’s unfortunate. I really enjoyed the challenge this series with Tony really pushed me to be locked in each and every game because I know the capabilities he has. It’s unfortunate.”
