Mavericks' Chandler Parsons 'frustrated' after aggravating knee injury

DALLAS -- Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons has no regrets about playing in Game 1 of his team's series against the Houston Rockets despite aggravating a right knee injury that will require surgery.

Parsons played 37 minutes in the loss despite excruciating pain in the knee, which prompted him to leave the floor briefly in the second quarter to be evaluated by the Mavs' medical staff in the locker room. After he sat out the Game 2 loss, the team announced Wednesday that Parsons would miss the rest of the season and explore surgical options to address the knee injury.

Parsons told ESPN.com that he has damaged cartilage in the knee, which got worse when he played in Game 1. He said he aggravated the knee injury when he landed after a dunk in transition during the second quarter.

Parsons, who signed a three-year, $46 million deal with Dallas as a restricted free agent last summer, acknowledged rushing back to play in Game 1 against his former team, including receiving a pain-killing injection two days before the series started.

"It's the playoffs, man," said Parsons, who had 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting and six rebounds in the playoff loss. "You've got to be really, really hurt to not play in a playoff game, in my eyes. I thought with everything I had done to prepare myself, I could get through it. It didn't work out. Didn't feel well. Didn't play well. But it was a risk I had to take."

Parsons will see a specialist in Chicago next week to get a third opinion on the nature of the procedure he needs to undergo. He has had repeated visits with Mavs team doctor T.O. Souryal, and he also visited the Rockets' team doctor, Walter Lowe, earlier this week.

"Trying to stay positive with it," said Parsons, who averaged 15.7 points and 4.9 rebounds this season. "Whatever the operation is, I'm going to have to be very disciplined and I'll get stronger than ever."

The injury originally happened when Parsons landed hard on the knee after being fouled on a layup in a March 29 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He played the remainder of that game, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Parsons also starred in the Mavs' next game, scoring 13 of his 22 points in the final 5:07 of a 135-131 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The pain in Parsons' knee increased significantly during that game. He still played the next night, but Parsons had to leave the April 2 loss to the Rockets during the third quarter, the last time he played during the regular season.

Parsons missed the final six regular-season games, suffering a setback during a workout before a game in Los Angeles less than a week before the playoffs opened. He still pushed to play in the postseason opener despite knowing that he'd likely need postseason surgery and was far less than 100 percent.

Parsons admits that part of his motivation for playing in Game 1 was the opportunity to face his former team at Toyota Center, where fans -- who still have hard feelings over his departure -- boo every time he touches the ball.

"If it was anybody but Houston, I honestly probably wouldn't have played in Game 1," Parsons said. "It just sucks. I've never been hurt and I want to play and I can't.

"It never got better. It's just so frustrating right now because obviously I want to be playing with my team. I want to be out there. The playoffs are the most fun time of the year and I was obviously looking forward to this series against Houston. And it's all taken away from me. It's devastating and I want to be out there. I've tried everything. I've tried every possible thing to try and play. Rehab and rest, different treatments, and nothing's worked."