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OKLAHOMA CITY - Tony Parker is dinged up again, and his status is unclear heading into the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. The San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard did not play in the second half or overtime of the Western Conference finals-clinching win over Oklahoma City on Saturday because of a sore left ankle. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesnt know what shape Parker will be in for Game 1 on Thursday in San Antonio. "I have no idea," Popovich said Saturday night. "I dont know what the deal is." Popovich said Parker sprained the ankle in Game 4 and aggravated it in Game 5. Popovich considered starting Manu Ginobili at point guard in Game 6 against the Thunder because Parker was having trouble during pregame. At halftime, Popovich made the decision to hold him out. "He came to me about eight minutes on the clock (before the second half) and said he couldnt go," Popovich said. "He couldnt cut. He was limping on it. He couldnt cut sideways or forward really." Popovich said he thought playing Parker in the second half would have hurt the team in the long term. "I didnt want him to be a hero because he was 50 per cent or less, we thought," Popovich said. "Thats probably bad for the team if you think about it. It was a tough decision to try to figure out whether to play him, and if you lose the game and it affects him for Monday night, then youre going to feel like you made an unwise choice." Parker has been plagued by injuries this year. He averaged 16.7 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the field during the regular season, but he missed 22 games. He strained his left hamstring in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against Portland and did not return. The Spurs won that game easily to clinch the series. Once again, his teammates bought him some rest. Had the Spurs lost Game 6, they would have faced an elimination game at home Monday against the Thunder. "We didnt know how much Tony was hurt in his ankle," forward Boris Diaw said. "But we didnt want to go to Game 7, and we didnt know if he would be ready to play if we did or if he would be 100 per cent, so we tried to get it over with tonight." Still, the Spurs have proven all season they can win without key players, posting the NBAs best record despite a series of injuries. "We have to continue to play basketball regardless of who is on the floor and our reserves did a great job - Cory (Joseph), Patty (Mills) - they stepped in and continued to run the offence and push the pace and playing good defence on their guards as well," guard Danny Green said. Joseph started the second half of Game 6 against Oklahoma City and helped engineer a 37-point third quarter. "Cory was very good," Ginobili said. "I mean, its hard to play when you dont have many opportunities to play in close games and stuff. But he did very well in Game 3 and 4 here. He always brings the juice, aggressiveness, competitiveness. He attacks the rim well. I think he made a few key plays." The Spurs said they excel without their stars because they are about a system, rather than individuals. "We have been doing what we did the whole year, which is passing the ball to each other, getting some movement, getting pace and getting into a good rhythm," Diaw said. "Always trying to set up a good shot for a teammate." Kwon Alexander 49ers Jersey .C. -- Duke sophomore Rodney Hood is entering the NBA draft. Joe Montana Jersey .Y. -- A month ago, Syracuse was unbeaten, ranked No. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Terrell-Owens-49ers-Jersey/ . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back. Steve Young 49ers Jersey ." Argos general manager Jim Barker uttered those words during an interview with TSN 1050 radio just prior to the CFLs annual free agent frenzy. Dwight Clark Youth Jersey . -- Sonny Grays fastball wasnt as sharp as it usually is, and the Oakland Athletics young pitcher even had a quirky replay go against him. BOSTON -- When shots werent falling for Atlanta during a woeful start to the second quarter, the Hawks started going inside to Paul Millsap and never stopped. Millsap had season highs with 34 points and 15 rebounds as the Hawks rallied from an 18-point deficit for a 92-91 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday afternoon. Jeff Teague scored 16 points and Kyle Korver added 14 for Atlanta. "At the beginning of the game it wasnt really what they were doing. Its what we didnt do. We didnt execute well. We didnt share the basketball like we normally do," said Millsap, who had his best game for the Hawks since signing as a free agent in the off-season. "When we settled down, got stops and moved the basketball around, everybody got in a groove." The Hawks barely made one third of their shots, going 33 for 91, but Millsap was nearly unstoppable inside. He was 12 for 14 from the field and forced his way to the foul line, where he made 10 of 14 free throws. "We were able to find a way to win a game where we werent able to shoot well from the perimeter, from the basket, really from anywhere except for Paul Millsap," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. Boston pulled away on a 19-4 run to start the second quarter, but Atlanta closed the period on a 15-0 run and set up a back-and-forth finish. "We started off the game so terribly. We just couldnt find any kind of rhythm and they had us totally out of synch," said Korver, who extended his NBA record streak of games with a 3-pointer to 101. "We were dead in the water there for a little while. We just felt like we couldnt get anything going. We got a little momentum and were able to carry that over to the second half." Boston had two shots to win after Shelvin Mack missed a layup in the final minute, but couldnt convert. Jordan Crawford missed with about eight seconds remaining and Boston ended up with the rebound and called time out. Crawford tried again at the buzzer but his shot bounced off the backboard. "I fellt like it was a good opportunity.dddddddddddd Jordan lives for that," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "I think hell probably beat himself up over it, but thats OK. We play again on Thursday." Kelly Olynyk scored a career-high 21 points and Kris Humphries had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Bostons reserves scored 56 -- more than half of the teams total. None of Bostons starters scored in double figures. Brandon Bass was closest with nine points and Jared Sullinger pulled down 10 rebounds. The lead went back-and-forth down the stretch until Atlanta clinched it in the final minutes. After Millsap put the Hawks up 90-89, Crawford answered with a long jumper that beat the shot clock and put Boston back up 91-90 with 1:36 left. It was the last field goal of the game. Teague drew a foul with 1:30 left and made both shots and the Hawks held on for the win. The Celtics led 23-20 after the first and opened second on a 19-4 run for a 42-24 lead. Atlanta responded by scoring the last 15 points of the period and then opened the third quarter with a 10-4 run and took a 54-48 lead on a layup by Teague. Olynyk started Boston on a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer, then Crawford converted a three-point play and added a 3-pointer to put the Celtics up 57-54. Korvers streak appeared to be in jeopardy through the third period after he missed his first five attempts from beyond-the-arc. His sixth was good, though, and he drew a foul for a four-point play that pulled the Hawks within 83-76 with 6:10 remaining. "The whole section up there was reminding me I hadnt hit one," Korver said. "I was trying to make shots to make shots, not just to keep the streak going." Notes: The Hawks streak of nine straight games scoring more than 100 points ended. ... Atlanta centre Al Horford was scheduled for surgery Tuesday to repair his torn right pectoral muscle. The Hawks announced Monday that Horford, the Hawks leading scorer and rebounder, was out for the season. ... The Celtics closed December at 6-6. ' ' '