Point guard Chauncey Billups walked onto the Amway Arena court for Thursday’s practice without a visible limp, but when asked about his hamstring injury, the first thing he said was, “It’s sore, man. It’s just sore.”

He wouldn’t wager whether he’d be ready to play on Saturday for Game 4, mainly because he said he’s never had a hamstring injury and isn’t sure what to expect. All he knows is right now, it hurts.

But here’s the bright side. Team strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander sounded very optimistic as he described the nature of the injury, how he plans to treat it and what the prognosis could be.

“My goal is to get him ready for Saturday,” Kander said. “It’s feasible, of course.”

• Billups says he’s sore, still listed as day-to-day | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press