Chandler Parsons suffers setback, Mavericks concerned

Even if Chandler Parsons is ready to return for the start of the postseason, he'll likely have more than a few cobwebs to shake off. 

The Dallas Mavericks small forward, who's sitting out his fifth consecutive game Monday due to right knee swelling, suffered a setback in a shootaround Sunday, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Parsons was hoping to play in the Mavericks' regular-season finale Wednesday as a tuneup, but his status for that game is now in doubt. Regardless of whether things go off without a hitch from here on out, he may have to go into the playoffs cold. 

"I didn't want to go into the playoffs missing six straight (games)," Parsons said Monday, according to Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. "I wanted to play tonight and I want to play Wednesday against Portland just to get back into it and play in a game before the playoffs.

"But I've been in the playoffs before, I've played a lot of games before. If I have to sit out again Wednesday again just to be able to play (the) game, I'll do that."

Head coach Rick Carlisle sounded slightly less confident. 

"We're going day-to-day with it," Carlisle said. "Things have gotten gradually better and we'll just keep looking at it.

"Am I concerned? Yeah, I'm concerned."

Parsons said that if even if Monday's game was Game 1 of a playoff series, he wouldn't be able to play. Richard Jefferson, who is 34, has done an admirable job starting in his place, but that's probably not a situation the Mavericks want to face when Game 1 actually rolls around.