Parker's Hamstring a Key for Spurs SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs" title hopes might depend on the health of Tony Parker's right hamstring, which apparently might last through the end of the N.B.A. finals. Since straining the hamstring Tuesday in Game 3, Parker has generally offered upbeat and vague assessments, as he did again Saturday, saying that the hamstring was "getting stronger." It was not until later, when asked about the risks of playing, that Parker gave a more candid - and alarming - revelation. "My hamstring can tear any time now," he said after the Spurs" practice session. So if it was the regular season, I would be resting like 10 days. But now it's the N.B.A. finals. If it gets a tear, it's life. Parker smiled ruefully as he said it. This is, as he said, not the time to be resting. The Spurs and the Miami Heat are tied at two games apiece in the best-of-seven series, with a critical Game 5 to be played here Sunday night. After that, the series moves back to Miami for Game 6 and a potential Game 7. Parker is the Spurs" leading scorer and playmaker in the postseason, the engine of their offense. It is unlikely San Antonio can beat Miami two more times without getting maximum production from him. The Spurs are already coping with a diminished Manu Ginobili, and they have few other reliable scorers. Parker scored 21 points in the series opener (a 92-88 Spurs victory) but has averaged 11.3 points in the three games since. He looked spry in the first half of Game 4, with 15 points, but went scoreless in the second half as the Heat pulled away for a 109-93 victory. Neither team has won consecutive games in this series. In fact, the Heat have not won consecutive games in the last two rounds of the playoffs, alternating wins and losses against the Indiana Pacers for seven games, then the Spurs for the last four. But the Heat finally looked like themselves in Game 4, with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combining for 85 points. James said it was time to end the every-other-game trend. "I think we're well overdue," James said, adding: "Enough is enough for our team. I'm not saying it's going to result in us having a win, but we need to play with the same sense of urgency as if we were down, 2-1, or whatever the case may be tomorrow night. And we can't wait around.