There is "speculation" that Tiago Splitter may be taken out of the Spurs' starting lineup for Game 5 on Sunday.

Splitter had an atrocious beginning to Game 4 and Gregg Popovich benched him within one minute of tip-off, plugging in Gary Neal before using Boris Diaw at center to start the second half. The Spurs have acknowledged the difficulties presented by Miami's smaller lineups, which caused defensive mismatches for their big men, and we'll be watching closely to see how Pop handles his rotations on Sunday.

Tiago Splitter is still icing his left ankle after every game.

Splitter sprained his ankle on April 26 vs. the Lakers, and he's still not 100 percent yet. Splitter, overjoyed to head to the NBA finals, admitted the Spurs reputation played a part in his decision to join the team when he did. "They have four rings already, the generation with Timmy and Pop, so when you come, you expect to be on a great team," he said. "The only thing I thought when I come here is how am I going to fit with this team and help them win."

Tiago Splitter refuted a rumor that Real Madrid would pursue him as a free agent.

"That's because they're having an election," Splitter said. The clubs that own the teams in the Spanish League elect officials every four years, and Splitter chalked this report up to nothing more than a political play. Splitter won't be leaving the NBA for another stint overseas.

Real Madrid's "No. 1 goal" this summer is to sign Tiago Splitter out of the NBA, though it is a very unlikely scenario.

Splitter has a $4.3 million qualifying offer this summer and he's shown no inclination to leave the NBA to play in Europe, so we won't dwell on this rumor. For now he remains focused on completing a sweep over the Grizzlies and earning a trip to the NBA Finals.

Tiago Splitter (ankle) is back in the starting lineup for the Spurs at Golden State in Game 3.

He played 10 minutes off the bench, but was somewhat efficient with five points and four boards in Game 2. The Spurs are going to need all the rebounding they can get with the Warriors likely firing away from downtown while they could also try to attack the paint against GSW's smaller forwards.

According to NBA.com, the Mavericks and Hawks have impending restricted free agent C Tiago Splitter on their "short lists."

Tiago Splitter admitted that he's struggling with his conditioning following his ankle injury.

Splitter returned for Game 2 after injuring his ankle in the first round vs. the Lakers. "My conditioning is probably not as good as when I was playing, but there's nothing I can do," he said. Fortunately it sounds as if Splitter's ankle came out fine and he'll be available to play going forward.

Tiago Splitter (ankle) is available to face the Warriors for Wednesday night's game.

Boris Diaw is going to start for the Spurs and the amount of time that Splitter will play is still unclear. Splitter said that this was the worst ankle sprain he's ever had, so we'd expect him to get limited minutes.

Tiago Splitter (ankle) will be a game-time decision Wednesday night.

Splitter hasn't played since suffering a fairly serious sprained ankle during Game 3 of San Antonio's first-round series against the Lakers. He was a game-time call for Monday's game as well, but still wasn't ready to return. The Spurs could definitely use Splitter's size and presence inside against a banged-up Warriors frontcourt. If Splitter can't go, Boris Diaw will likely start again with DeJuan Blair getting minutes off the bench.

Tiago Splitter (ankle) will not play against the Warriors on Monday.

It's a sizable loss for the Spurs and his presence inside would have given San Antonio a nice advantage in the paint. Boris Diaw will get the start and DeJuan Blair should get some minutes. Splitter should be considered questionable for Game 2 on Wednesday.