May 10, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) shoots against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second quarter of game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Towards the end of game three, the injury bug seem to have hit both the Warriors and the Spurs. A gasp came over Oracle Arena when the fans saw their star player Stephen Curry hobbling after an apparent ankle injury. He did finish the game but you could tell that he was an obvious pain.

The television camera then panned over to the Spurs bench and low and behold, Tony Parker was being attended to by team officials to what seemed to be an injury to his left calf.  I thought first that he had cramps but later it was mentioned by himself that he was kicked in the calf and it is bruised.

According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, Parker was a mere spectator at the Spurs practice as he was still being attended too on a trainers bench.

As if game three wasn’t a pivotal game and a must win for the Spurs, Parker feels that game four is just as important.  To him, he feels he has to be out there.

“I just can’t see myself not playing,” Parker said. “I’ll definitely play.”

Parker was phenomenal in the teams 101-91 victory of the Warriors in game three, as he scored 32 points, 25 of which was in the first half.

McDonald states that the team doctors are confident that the diagnosis to Parker is a bruised calf.

As for Head Coach Gregg Popovich, he put all nay-sayers at ease if they feel Parker is not going to play.

“He’s going to play,” Popovich said.

The injured happened to Parker late in the four quarter and you could tell he was shaken up.  Most of his shots that were falling in the first and second half were left short, according to Parker, he just couldn’t get enough lift.

“I couldn’t elevate,” Parker said. “My last couple shots were short. I missed my free throws. Hopefully tomorrow it will feel better.”

Game four will be one that will have all eyes on both Parker and Curry.  Parker will play, we get that from Pop, no need to question, Curry on the other hand is a game time decision for Golden State.

Game four tips off at 2:30 PM Central Standard Time on A

May 6, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) during player introductions before game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at the AT

Tim Duncan did not look like himself on Monday Night, despite having a double-double, 19 points and 11 rebounds. Duncan was fighting the flu and did all he could to grind through it during game one against the Golden State Warriors.

Duncan talked with Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News and stated that the sickness hit him late in the game and it was best for the team if he were not out there.

“Rough night last night, getting over this sickness,” Duncan said. “It kind of caught up to me later in the game. But probably the best thing for the team was me was going out.

“I couldn’t (play) at that point. I wanted to, but I was hurting us out there. I couldn’t move. It was the right thing to do for me to get out of there. I knew I’d have some difficulty. I just didn’t think it would be at that level.”

Gregg Popovich also chimed in stating that Duncan was not going to let him know of his health. So, Popovich took control and pulled Duncan from the game and sent him into the locker room with 4:31 left in the fourth. Here is what he told McCarney:

“It became pretty apparent that he wasn’t going to tell me the truth anymore,” Popovich said, “so I had to pull the plug myself. He’s a competitor and he didn’t want to come off the floor.”

He did return in the overtime periods but played sparingly.  After a late work-out on Tuesday, his health is starting to sound better.

“Much better today,” Duncan said. “Another day and a half, I hope to have it out of my system.”