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Gary Neal said the Spurs are thrilled to have Parker on the court, even if he’s less than 100 percent. “He’s one of the best players in the NBA,” Neal said. “At times, especially when he’s going, he’s pretty much our entire offense. We pretty much feed off him. That’s a big brick off our shoulders.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Injuries, Gary Neal 

As he bombarded the Miami Heat with one 3-pointer after another, goose bumps surfaced some 1,600 miles away just as they had that February night in 2000 when the entire town of tiny Aberdeen, Md., roared as one for the amazing Gary Neal. “On my way to work today I checked my Facebook and saw that he [Neal] had just updated his page and so I sent him a post,” said Neal’s Aberdeen High School basketball coach Richard Hart, who still coaches there today. ”I wrote, ‘Gary Neal comes through when the spotlight is on. Anyone surprised? Not me.’ NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

The 6-foot-4 gunner went undrafted and without opportunity on home soil he headed overseas. One year he led the Turkish League in scoring. Another year he did it in the Italian League. In the summer of 2010, the judicious San Antonio Spurs called. They brought Neal in for mini-camp workouts. Impressed, they invited him to play on the Summer League team in Las Vegas. Just married, Neal said he had to re-arrange his honeymoon to take his shot at the NBA. “I had to kind of smooth it over with my wife,” Neal said. “We were going to go to Atlantis for a week for our honeymoon. She decided it would be a good thing if we went to Vegas instead so I could make an NBA push.” NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

The Heat had been trapping Parker on pick-and-rolls, preferring to leave shooters such as Neal and Danny Green open. The strategy was to keep Parker out of the lane at any expense. The strategy backfired Tuesday night. Neal took over early, and Green carried the Spurs in the second half. They combined for 51 points, including 13 three-pointers, as the Spurs set an NBA Finals record with 16 threes in a 113-77 Game 3 victory. Neal hit a momentum shifting three at the first-half buzzer to give San Antonio a 50-44 edge en route to the 2-1 series lead. USA Today Sports

Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal, Danny Green 

"The ball movement was great today," Neal told USA Today Sports. "Especially after the way we performed in Game 2. They were able to make us play in a crowd. They were extremely aggressive, extremely physical. We knew coming into Game 3, we knew we had to move the ball. We were able to move it, get open shots and be able to get our feet set. "I give Tony and Manu (Ginobili) a whole bunch of credit. They are the dominant ball-handlers in the system. They did a great job of facilitating tonight. And me and Danny were the recipients of good ball movement." USA Today Sports

Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Tobias Harris: Who turned up the game sliders on Gary Neal and Danny Green ?? Twitter @tobias31

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal, Danny Green, Tobias Harris 

Then there was the other star, Gary Neal, who not only was never drafted coming out of college, but never even got a training camp invite. He figured the NBA was mostly a pipe dream until, after a stint in Europe, he received a long- shot offer to play on the Spurs' summer-league team in Las Vegas. He decided to combine a job tryout with his honeymoon. "I had to kind of just smooth it over with my wife," Neal said, of ditching a week on the beach at Atlantis for an experience that wasn't exactly romantic. "It was totally a business trip," he said. "Totally." Yahoo! Sports

San Antonio Spurs, Las Vegas, Gary Neal, Training Camp 

No one expects Cory Joseph, Nando DeColo or Gary Neal to do what Parker does. But the difference is obvious, especially when the shot clock winds down. "Tony's the ultimate playmaker," forward Danny Green said, "and we're the ultimate bailout guys for him. Right now, the playmaking part is where we're lacking. We don't have a guy who can dribble around and around, get easy layups [and] floaters in the paint, and run the offense the way he did. Cory's doing a great job, Gary's doing a great job as well. But it's different what Tony brings." NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Gary Neal, Danny Green, Cory Joseph 

Mike Monroe: Gary Neal (strained right calf) ruled out of tonight's Spurs-Raptors game; he's listed as day to day Twitter @Monroe_SA

San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Gary Neal 

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a fun guy to talk to. His postgame press conference was in the hallway outside the locker room and Popovich was holding his sneakers and his suit jacket. He didn't want to loiter, but he dropped a few good quotes on his way out. On second-year guard Gary Neal scoring 12 points: "His job is to shoot the ball. Other than that he got no clue. He did what’s supposed to do." On occasional bricklayer Tiago Splitter going 5 for 5 from the foul line: "That amazes the free world, when he makes those free throws." Boston Globe

San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Gregg Popovich, Gary Neal 

Jeff McDonald: Asked Gary Neal if he was at all surprised Parker would draw up game-winner for another French guy. "Not really," Neal said with a smile. Twitter @JMcDonald_SAEN

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Gary Neal 

Mike Monroe: #Spurs guard Gary Neal (stomach flu)to arrive in OKC this afternoon; #RealCoachPop expects he will be able to play Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Gary Neal 

Fran Blinebury: Dr. Pop diagnosing Gary Neal illness: "Internal bug this, bug that kind of thing. They had to give him some kind of IV." Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Gary Neal 

Spurs guard Gary Neal wasn’t at his team’s shootaround practice Wednesday morning, but he is expected to join his team this afternoon and will likely play in Game 6 against Oklahoma City later this evening. San Antonio Express-News

Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Gary Neal 

“He’ll get in this afternoon, fly in,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “If it changes, we’ll know later, but he says he feels better.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, Injuries, Gary Neal 

Neal has been treated for what appears to be flu-like symptoms, although his coach doesn’t know exactly what the strain might be. “I don’t know,” Popovich said. “Internal bug this, a bug kind of thing. He’s been getting some IV stuff.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, Injuries, Gary Neal 

Guard Gary Neal was not on board the Spurs’ flight from San Antonio to Oklahoma City on Tuesday afternoon, coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s not feeling well,” Popovich told the Express-News. Asked if it was anything serious, Popovich said, “No.” San Antonio Express-News

Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, Injuries, Gary Neal 

The Knicks may have only the $2 million lower exception to lure another free-agent point guard with Raymond Felton, Derek Fisher and Gary Neal possible targets in that category. New York Post

New York Knicks, Free Agency, Derek Fisher, Raymond Felton, Gary Neal 

Austin Toros coach Brad Jones must have known something when he briefly looked at his watch when asked how long he expected Gary Neal to play with his team. Neal was recalled to the Spurs on Tuesday afternoon after two practices with the Toros. He will be in uniform for tonight’s game against Golden State at the AT&T Center. Manu Ginobili’s broken left hand played a part in the Spurs’ quick decision to retrieve Neal from the Toros without any live game action. “I don’t know, Manu got hurt,” Jones said, chuckling. “You guys tell me.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, D-League, Gary Neal 

Gary Neal will be on the court at the Spurs' practice facility for a full session with his team. Temporarily, it won't be with the Spurs. Neal underwent an appendectomy Dec. 12 and has been doing conditioning work for more than a week. But the Spurs have been unable to practice with their busy schedule, which hasn't allowed Neal to get the contact work the team's medical staff wants him to have before suiting up for a game. The Spurs' Development League team, the Austin Toros, were a perfect solution for a rehab stint. The second-year shooting guard, who was in Austin on Tuesday for practice, is likely to be back on the court with the Spurs by week's end. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Gary Neal