HOUSTON -- The Rockets and Spurs have transitioned to Houston for Games 3 and 4 of their second-round matchup with the series tied 1-1. We've had two blowouts, a devastating injury to Tony Parker and some fascinating dynamics between the two marquee stars in this matchup. Here's where things stand headed into a pivotal Game 3 in Houston on Friday night.

A post-Parker reality

The Spurs said what you would expect them to after Tony Parker's injury. Gregg Popovich talked about how Parker is obviously a big part of what the Spurs do, but that no one cares who's hurt -- they care whether you win or lose, and they're moving forward. He declined to say who would start, as he said the staff is still deciding that. The most widely speculated options are moving rookie Dejounte Murray into the starting lineup or going with supremely veteran (read: old) guard Manu Ginobili next to Danny Green. There's a sense that Popovich will want to keep firebug guard Patty Mills with the second unit, which makes a great deal of sense. The Spurs already face a tough task containing the Rockets when the second units are matched up; losing Mills might suffocate their offense. 

Respect for a Hall of Famer, but the series goes on

The Rockets, in turn, said what you would expect about a great player in Parker, expressing disappointment that he was injured, wishing him well, praying for him as Ryan Anderson said, etc. What's interesting is that there is no sense from either side that Parker's injury ends the Spurs' chances in this series. Despite his being a Hall of Famer, great at setting up the offense and a guy who can go off for 15-25 points on any given night, Parker simply isn't the engine of the Spurs anymore. The Spurs' defensive rating is worlds better with Mills on court, and it was only a matter of time before the Rockets started trying to attack Parker more consistently. Losing Parker hurts, as much emotionally as in tactical advantage, and he was still effective, playing a huge role in their Game 2 win. But the Spurs are better built to sustain the loss of Parker, particularly in this series, than ever before. 

The Big Vibe

The general sense from this series is that the Spurs have real concerns about being able to beat Houston with so many shooters. They won Game 2 in a blowout thanks to a 30-5 run in the fourth quarter. For three quarters, Houston hung around, worked the body, stayed within range, didn't let the Spurs get too far ahead of them, responding to runs with runs. The Spurs always had a run to keep Houston from blazing past them; they managed Houston's fire, so to speak. 

But they also couldn't just pound them down until the fourth, when effectively Houston buckled, acknowledging that it got the split and that was all the meat it would tear from bone in San Antonio. The Rockets, on the other hand, seem to have real doubts about whether they can maintain the energy needed to beat the Spurs. They overwhelmed the Spurs in Game 1 with a ferociousness we hadn't seen from them, and it was clear that the intensity of their Oklahoma City series, even in five games, had them operating at a high-energy wavelength.

Maintaining that is difficult. What's worse, without Parker, that's a letdown. Teams down a star rally, while teams facing a team down a star tend to let up. If Houston comes out flat, it's going to get blitzed in Game 3 and it's right back where it was going in -- an underdog. 

Beard status: Go

James Harden has an ankle issue, though he hasn't had any extra wrapping or taping in shootarounds, practices or games. He has been battling it the past few months. He banged his hip into the basket stanchion in Game 2, and that bothered him, but said he was fine after the game. And he has been quite visibly sick the past few days, coughing and sniffling. It's no big deal, by all accounts, but in a series where the Rockets need Harden at his absolute best, every little bit counts. 

Harden, however, went through shootaround and had worked up a healthy sweat Wednesday, and wasn't coughing or showing signs of sickness (the Rockets have not listed Harden with any limitations in any regard). These things are discussed as if they're excuses, and Harden has flat-out rejected all discussions of anything that might have impacted him. He knows the deal and knows he has to play better than he did in Game 2. 

Seriously, is Kawhi Leonard a robot?

Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, remains a machine. He doesn't do the podium postgame, win or lose, and is the last one to do media. He doesn't talk at shootarounds. He just works on his jumper, meticulous and brutally efficient. The whole "he's a cyborg" thing is funny and then you watch him and you genuinely start to wonder if the man is human. He did break a smile while working with assistant coach Becky Hammon at shootaround, but that could have just been some type of coding error. 

All about the hustle

From a tactical perspective, the Rockets' talk is all about hustle points. The Rockets dominated the game in those areas in Game 1 and were crushed in Game 2. Offensive rebounds, loose balls and contested shots were the talk of the past two days. Those are things clearly fed by the Rockets' stout analytical department. What's interesting is the Rockets got to more deflections and loose balls in both games. They've been faster to the ball. But offensive rebounds led to broken-play 3s in Game 2 and they know they have to do a better job there. The issue is doing that against a bigger lineup. The Rockets need help from their guards to secure boards because Anderson and Trevor Ariza can only do so much in their small-ball lineups. 

Small ball, small ball, small ball

Speaking of small ball, Popovich went to it way earlier than most of the media were expecting in Game 2. Honestly, he pulled out all the stops. He deployed Leonard on Harden nearly full-time to great success, he went to Pau Gasol as a starter and transitioned to more small ball with Jonathan Simmons at power forward. Houston still knows it can beat those lineups off the floor, but the Spurs have really found something with Mills' speed and range, combined with more athleticism with Simmons and only one big. These playoffs have been defined so much by who goes small, or smaller, first. I don't know if Mike D'Antoni has anything smaller he can go to, but the three-guard lineups with Patrick Beverley, Eric Gordon and Harden have been prominent. So much of this series is about busting Popovich's will about playing two-big lineups, and even his small-ball lineups are built on athleticism and physicality. It'll be interesting to see how much he bends to the small-ball stuff or sticks with his insistence that the two-big lineups can win.

Parting shot

Keep an eye out for more dribble-hand-off action with Harden into another pick-and-roll, and whether the Rockets get back to actively attacking Leonard's dribble, which they backed off of in Game 2.