Erick Dampier's toning down his plans to thwart San Antonio's Tony Parker.
That's after NBA officials had a chat with the Dallas Mavericks center who cleared him to play Thursday. The big guy is still going to get physical with the Spurs' speedy point guard in Game 3, but he's no long guaranteeing that his first foul will put Parker "on his back."
Dampier acknowledges that he "probably shouldn't have said it like that" when he made his vow Monday night. That was after Parker turned Game 2 of this first-round series into a personal layup drill.
A fine was more likely than a suspension over comments Dampier made after Parker torched Dallas for 38 points in San Antonio's 105-84 win Monday night. Parker frequently drove the lane for layups and had as many points as the Mavericks in the first quarter.
The quote appeared in Tuesday's editions of The Dallas Morning News. Once it reached the league office, a "review" began, which essentially meant Dampier having to explain himself.
League spokesman Tim Frank said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Dampier was cleared for Game 3 Thursday night in Dallas. The Mavericks-Spurs series is tied 1-1.
No punishment was announced by the league. However, there will be repercussions in more scrutiny from the refs.
