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NBA FINALS: HEAT v SPURSJune 4, 2014Tony ParkerSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Practice Day Q. There is there is always a lot of focus on titles and if LeBron gets three, where that puts him. Can you talk about Pop and if he it gets one, it's five, and the sustained success from '99 to now. Not as much focus on that. TONY PARKER: It would be a great accomplishment. We're focused for this one. I think we don't want to get caught about history or legacy or stuff like that. I think we should just focus, you know, on Game 1 and try to win the first game and maybe after the playoffs and after The Finals we can talk about all that. But for both teams, you have a lot of great stuff can happen, but it's a lot of work ahead and Pop has been unbelievable all those years. It's hard to stay at the top for all those years and so we have a great opportunity to get a championship this year. Q. Tony, I know you're ready for Game 1, is there any fear about how you're going to feel during the duration of the series? TONY PARKER: A little bit, a little bit because you never know how it's going to feel. But I'm trying to be very positive, trying to do everything I can, eat healthy, get my rest, do all the treatment. I just trust my body, I've been playing for four years nonstop, since 2010, no vacation, made three conference finals, made two finals with the National Team so we always go all the way. But I'm very proud, my body, and, yes, I had little stuff, wear and tear, but I'm still here and I trust my body to hold up for the whole series. Q. How important have these four days been for you‑‑ TONY PARKER: It's been huge. Q. Are you going around on a golf cart or what are you doing to preserve your ankle? TONY PARKER: These days have been huge for me, I was proud of my teammate to get it done for OKC because those five days made the difference for me to be ready for Game 1. Q. Tony, Pop talked last week about how when you first got to the Spurs he went about the process of turning you from a pure scorer to a guy that would pass as a point guard. How much of a role did Tim play in that transition as well? TONY PARKER: Pop was huge, obviously, but Timmy, too, because every time you see your superstar, the franchise being so unselfish, it makes you want to be like that, too. Timmy is a great example for me. He was a model for me to follow. He's been so good for so long and I think a big key of our success is we never let our ego, me or Timmy or Manu be ahead of the team. When you have a guy like that, an example like that, it makes you want to be better as a player and I definitely wanted to be better. I wanted to be a point guard who can do both. I didn't want to be remembered as just a scorer, and I think over the years I got to that happy middle that I always talked about between scoring and passing and being the best point guard I can for my team. Q. Tony, did you guys watch any film of Game 6 and 7 in the last few days? And if you guys‑‑ you didn't? TONY PARKER: No. Q. What was the message from Popovich the last few days going into this series? TONY PARKER: That, you know, it's a new series. It's a new series. We're playing the best team in the NBA the last two years, and it's going to be a heck of a challenge and we have a great opportunity to try to beat them. Q. Tony, I know you don't want to look backwards, but when you were having to battle through physical things then, during the off‑season did you have that "what if" thing in your head? What if I was 100%? TONY PARKER: I don't think like that, you know, because I love playing for the Spurs, I love playing for my national team and, you know, I don't like to have excuses, you know? That's life. I had a little hamstring issue but I played and I tried to do my best, and this year I'll try to do the same thing. That's why this summer I will not go with the national team because I want to be ready for next season. I try to find a happy balance. Pop has always been a great supporter of me for my national team. He always pushed me to play with the national team because it's a great honor to play for your country and last year we won the whole thing. So it was worth it. I don't like to go with "if" because with "if" you can redo a lot of stuff. Hey, I've been very blessed in my career, playing for a great team, won three championships. It's my fifth final, great opportunity to win another one. I'm not going to lose time about all what if that, what if this. I'm just positive. I'm blessed coming from France and having a career like that and playing for a great organization, that's how I see it. Q. You sound like you're pretty good right now. Are you "Confident Tony", Tony? TONY PARKER: Yeah, like I told Mark, I trust my body and I did everything I can treatment‑wise and I hope I can be 100%. Q. Tony, last year in The Finals they used Mario Chalmers on you at the start and the Cole and LeBron at times. Did you gain any knowledge of how to attack LeBron, maybe, in The Finals? TONY PARKER: I don't think too much about my match‑up, I think they'll start with Mario Chalmers and then with LeBron maybe, like they did the last four games last year. I have to figure out how help my team. Pace‑wise, I don't get caught up in LeBron and how to attack. I just do what I need to do to help us beat Miami. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Tony. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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