"I'm probably 75 to 80 percent," he said after San Antonio's 95-73 loss to Minnesota in its regular-season finale Wednesday. "There are still a couple of things I'm tentative on doing, but a lot of it is more conscious than anything, trying to protect myself."
Given the condition of his star player, as well as injuries to center Rasho Nesterovic (sprained left ankle) and guard Devon Brown (herniated disk), Popovich appreciated a first-round schedule that gives the Spurs two days off before Wednesday's Game 2 and another two days before Game 3 in Denver.
Meanwhile Shaq says he "hopes to be 95% physically ready." and will play for sure on Sunday.
Bulls Eddy Curry and Luol Deng, off the 12-man playoff roster that was due to the NBA on Thursday. The Bulls announced last week that Curry would miss the playoffs while he undergoes more testing for an irregular heartbeat, and Deng is facing three to six months of rehab after surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. Tyson Chandler is in with a sprained ankle.
