Despite an ankle injury that prevented him from playing during the second half of the San Antonio Spurs' bid for the Western Conference championship against the Oklahom City Thunder, Spurs guard Tony Parker is expected to play during the NBA Finals first game on Thursday. This is what Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told Miami Herald a day before the game against the Miami Heat saying Parker is "going to be fine."

Although Parker feels "a little bit" concerned about his comeback, especially now that it is the finals game, he noted that he has done everything to recover from the injury. The 6'2" player sprained his ankle during the Spurs' first-round game versus the Dallas Mavericks. He sustained the same injury during the conference finals' Game 4.

In an interview with a French radio station, Parker said that even if he will not be able to play his best during the first game, he will stay beside his teammates to show his support.

In the transcription provided by the San Antonio News Express, Parker was quoted as saying "The good news is that I will play the first game of the Finals on Thursday against the Heat. I may not be 100% but I'll be there. In 13 years, I played seven conference finals and I have the chance to play my fifth Finals with Spurs. This is really great. I continue my dream, this is really something great." 

Parker played during the first half of Game 6 against the Thunder, but was taken out of the game by Popovich because of his limited movements.

Sports analysts say that if Parker sustains yet another injury during Thursday's game, Spurs could put Patty Mills, Corey Joseph or Manu Ginobili in his place.

CBS Sports reported that the Spurs need not worry about Parker's absence as the team's performance during the Western Conference finals was not affected. CBS added that the Popovich relied on its star players and Cory Joseph who impressed the crowd with their outstanding performance.

However, CBS noted that Parker's ability to "get into the teeth of the defense" is very vital for the Spurs faceoff versus Miami Heat. Parker played an important role in nearly beating the Heat during the finals game last year but another injury again affected his performance.

Now, all that's left to do is wait for Parker's comeback and see what he has to offer during the game despite his injury.