Barring setbacks, Mavericks’ Parsons set to start Game 1 at Houston
After sitting out six games — barring any setbacks — Chandler Parsons will be back in the starting lineup Saturday night for the Dallas Mavericks.
And not a moment too soon.
Parsons plans to be at his customary small forward spot when the Mavs open a best-of-seven first-round playoff series at 8:30 p.m. against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
The four-year veteran went through the entire practice session Friday without a hitch, and he is eager to get back in a game.
“I definitely made a lot of progress from the last couple of days until now, so I’m feeling much better,” Parsons said. “Hopefully no setbacks between now and the game.
“If all goes well, then I should play. I feel like I’m well enough to play, and I’ve made good strides.”
Coach Rick Carlisle is also optimistic that Parsons will be back in the fold.
“Parsons is doing fine,” Carlisle said. “We think things are trending in the right direction, and we’ll see how he responds to the practice.
“But the signs have been positive, and they continue to be positive.”
JET now the enemy
The business side of the NBA has put the Mavs in an unusual position.
Rockets starting point guard Jason Terry happens to be one of the most popular players to ever wear a Dallas uniform. Terry played for the Mavs from 2004-12, was the starting point guard when they advanced to the 2006 NBA Finals, and was the team’s top reserve when they captured the 2011 NBA title.
The daughters of Carlisle and Terry even attend the same school in North Dallas.
“The fact that he’s ended up in Houston at this point and playing us in the playoffs, there’s some irony there,” Carlisle said of Terry. “But on the business side of the NBA, a lot of things are possible.
“The fact that he’s there and they’re playing us, in the grand scheme of things, is not that shocking.”
Terry knocked down a lot of big shots when he played for Carlisle from 2008-12. He was as clutch as they came.
“He’s a great playoff player; he’s proven that,” Carlisle said. “He’s proven that at the highest level, and so we have a lot of respect for him.
“He’s going to come at us hard, and vice versa. That’s what the playoffs are about.”
Dwain Price, 817-390-7760
This story was originally published April 17, 2015 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Barring setbacks, Mavericks’ Parsons set to start Game 1 at Houston."