Mike Monroe: Ginobili has summer to forget pair of game-deciding choices

[spurssheriff]

Mike Monroe: Ginobili has summer to forget pair of game-deciding choices
Web Posted: 05/23/2006 12:53 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c....128e2252.html



Monroe When Manu Ginobili made a mistake that cost the Spurs Game 3 of their first-round series against Sacramento, he went into a funk so deep some teammates visited his hotel room over the next two days to do what they could to lift his spirits.

Tim Duncan and friends may need to visit Ginobili's home in San Antonio over the next few days to prop up their teammate again. That is because the Spurs' competitive crunch-time playmaker is loading himself with a heavy dose of responsibility for two plays he believes cost the Spurs a chance to win Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Dallas Mavericks.

And this time, there are no more games in which Ginobili can atone.

Ginobili's foul on Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki with 21.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter on what turned out to be an old-fashioned three-point play enabled the Mavericks to tie the game at 104-104.

It was a mental mistake that made Spurs coach Gregg Popovich turn away from the court and mutter a curse to himself. He had just spent a good portion of a timeout the Mavericks had called to set up Nowitzki's play reminding his players not to foul a Dallas player in the act of shooting.

Ginobili always believes he can make a play, at either end. It is this self-confidence that Popovich loves but occasionally rues.

"So I just tried to surprise him," Ginobili explained of his decision to attempt a block on the 7-foot Nowitzki. "I thought I had it. I just can't believe he made it.

"It was a great play (by Nowitzki) and a big mistake by me."

Then, Popovich gave Ginobili a chance at redemption. The play he drew up after Nowitzki's tying free throw put the responsibility for a game-winning play back in the hands of the player he trusts the most to produce positive results.

And why not?

Was there anyone in the AT&T Center who did not recall that Popovich asked Ginobili to produce heroics in Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills; that Ginobili got the ball to Robert Horry for the game-winning shot, the most memorable of the entire Spurs' championship run?

Popovich remembered, which is one reason Horry was on the court again, and the play Ginobili was told to trigger was much the same as on that night in the suburbs of Detroit.

"Yeah, yeah," Ginobili said, his voice subdued. "It was the same play. And close to the same result, too. Tim (Duncan) was close to getting the board and couldn't make it. So it just happened that way, and I am very upset."

Just as the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace left Horry open when Ginobili made his move toward the basket from above the free-throw circle, Nowitzki took a step toward Ginobili when he began his drive on the left side of the foul lane Monday.

Ginobili flashed back momentarily to that huge play in June, too, but opted to carry the drive to the basket himself.

Nowitzki, he said, is good at playing the passing lanes. He dared not risk another turnover. What Sacramento's Game 3 had shown him was that even two or three seconds is time enough for an opponent to go the length of the court for a game winner. The Kings' Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin had proven it.

Few NBA players are as good as Ginobili at reading defenses on such drives, and this time he knew good things could happen for the Spurs if he missed his shot. That is because he also saw Dallas' DeSagana Diop coming to attempt a block. Duncan, Ginobili figured, would have a great chance of putting back a miss, if he missed.

Ginobili did miss, but he was right about what would happen next, too. Duncan got the rebound, but just as Nowitzki rushed his attempted putback of Jason Terry's miss at the end of Game 5, Duncan tried to get the rebound back up to the rim a tad too quickly and missed badly.

"It's hard when you have the last chance and you can't make it," Ginobili said. "So we all are very upset, so it is a hard moment for us. But I guess it just happens, and we've got to get over it."

With an entire summer, and help of supportive teammates, Ginobili may be able to forget his mistake by the time training camp begins.

[Duncanforthree]

I feel so bad for Manu.He tries so damn hard and sometimes he just gets to flustered.

Still love him though.His jersey will hang in the Spurs' rafters someday.


Go Spurs Go.On vacation.Rest up for next year.

[Krycek1]

Originally Posted by Duncanforthree

Go Spurs Go.On vacation.Rest up for next year.

for real, that olympic basketball and last years finals just beat the life out of them.

[losspurs21]

Manu is the ulitimate Warrior and has no reason to hang his head. He left it all on the court and I am tremendously grateful to have him in a Spurs uniform for life. I don't care if he ends up our 12th man one year, he should retire a Spur.

Long live Manu!!!! El Chingon.

[Krycek1]

Manu is just the man. Love his heart.


Still, Spurs only have 1 star, both these guys (tony and manu) had games where they never really showed up or only played well in stretches.

[e_93gsx]

Manu is the man. Play well all season just made a mistake still my favorite player in the leauge.

[bnwhuxley]

I won't blame him for that mistake. It was big, but it didn't decide the game.

[Silver Samurai]

Keep your head up Manu, rest up this off-season and come back fresh and pumped up for next year!

[yankeespur]

Originally Posted by bnwhuxley

I won't blame him for that mistake. It was big, but it didn't decide the game.

I love Manu as well (not in a Brokeback kind of way ) but I barely slept last night trying to figure out what the hell he was thinking! From my couch I knew a two didn't hurt us. With a two we still have a one point lead and a little more that 20 seconds left. They have to foul and most likely, we win it at the line. I still feel sick. I pray Manu has a better time putting this behind him than I am right now. So yeah, I blame Manu for this one.

[skydawg]

uh-uh..not blaming manu..this is pop's fault for playing the mavs game, and secondly-there were too many free throws missed in this series..

[esh28_spurs]

I can't blame Manu. Everyone of the players missed needed shots and made bad defensive plays.

[penwhen]

It's easy to blame Manu because those two plays stick out, but isn't the horrible first half more to blame? Manu was the one who led the charge to get it close and FINALLY go up in the fourth quarter. Yes, he made a bad decision to try a play on Nowitzki, but if the Spurs had been playing well and with fire for the entire game, they might not have been in that situation. You have to know that Manu will take risks when he thinks he can change a game--such risks can go good or bad, but they are ultimately why we love him.

It just seems like Manu was pressing himself too hard during these playoffs. I wonder if it was because he was injured so often and felt he hadn't helped the Spurs enough in the regular season or because he felt that he had to be 2005 Playoff Manu again (even though that was a nearly impossible goal) or a mix of both. As has been noted by so many, Manu is hyper-competitive, but hopefully something good can come out of this disappointment and he'll learn not to press, but to trust himself.

PS: Manu, grow your hair long again for next season.

[ProjectGSX]

Huh. I remember saying the same thing about Parker after last season.

[polk]

Originally Posted by yankeespur

I love Manu as well (not in a Brokeback kind of way ) but I barely slept last night trying to figure out what the hell he was thinking! From my couch I knew a two didn't hurt us. With a two we still have a one point lead and a little more that 20 seconds left. They have to foul and most likely, we win it at the line. I still feel sick. I pray Manu has a better time putting this behind him than I am right now. So yeah, I blame Manu for this one.

No question I blame Manu. It is as simple as that. You have to understand the situation of the game. A two does not hurt you. Manu was late on the rotation anyway and what exactly was he going to do against a 7-footer going strong to the hoop. No excuse. The fact that you were down by 20 in the first half is irrelevant because you overcame that obstacle and took the lead. You were down double digits on that historic Memorial Day in 1999 and you overcame that. Everything was in your favor without the need to make some kind of heroic play. Manu did not need to rescue the Spurs. They were winning. Hell he was already the hero because of the previous possession. He did his job on the offensive end by knocking down the wide open jumper. If he does his damn job on the defensive end and plays fundamental defense there is a good chance the Spurs win. Even if Nowitzki scores the worst thing that happens is you have the ball with 21.6 seconds left and a one-point lead and the game comes down to foul shooting. The team shot 85% last night from the line last night. Take your chances and play the percentages.

Boneheaded play!!!

[yankeespur]

All of your points would be valid if Dirk came down and nailed a three pointer. Nothing you can do about that. Then you could blame the poor start and missed rotations and the like. It did not go down like that. In spite of the poor play, we had the game won. Dirk did EXACTLY what we wanted him to do. He went for the two. Other than giving up the three pointer, What Manu did was the worst thing he could have done.

[Alka-Seltzer]

I blame Manu. He ignored coach's instructions and made an indefensibly stupid play.
End of.

[Wannabeer]

Man, my stomach still hurts everytime I THINK of that last play....I can imagine what its doing to Manu. I hope it doesnt effect how Manu plays the rest of his career, because it might.

[kmgospurs]

Manu made a really bad play there but at the same time he kept the Spurs in there all together and they still had a chance to put the game away. No matter what I love his heart, passion, and energy that he brings to the games and his no die attitude. It was amazing to see in the fourth quarter how he willed the team back from a big deficit. I think sometimes he gets so involved in the game he can't even control himself (like the last play). Hopefully he doesn't take it too hard like he usually does on himself. He needs to go play for his national team this summer and get all his rhythm (that he's actually been getting back lately) and confidence in playing back. We love you Manu and know you'll come back firing next season .

[xram27]

you guys are a joke!! blaming manu??? c'mon!!

[habbit]

Give him a break!He made a mistake,yes. But he made the three-point shot first.He gave Spur a chance to play in OT.Without him,we are already done in Game7,let alone the last 2 games.Without him,we might never think we had a chance to "win".
Don't blame him just because he is a easy target.We can beat them in OT but we didn't.And that was just that.I can believe it.Just because the Spur lost a game.And the fans start to blame their players. I'm sure he feels bad enough.He doesn't need the fans who should support him to rub salt on his wound.

[yankeespur]

I'm not rubbing salt in anyone's wounds. Yes, he stuck the three pointer right before. But, that last foul was the last thing I would expect from someone of his cailbur. He's been through wars in Eroupe and the Oylmpics and the NBA. If it would have been a younger more inexperienced player, you chalk it up to learning curve.
The win was right there dispite everything else that happened before the foul.
Like I said, I hope he's having an easier time putting this behind him than this slightly over-weight middle-aged father of four is.

[Twilite Kid]

Manu shouldn't have fouled Dirk, but I'm kinda thinking the 20 point hole we were in had something to do with us losing. If we hadn't given up such a huge amount, maybe we would've been up by more than 3 at that point.

[SpursDanceDiva]

I can't blame Manu. We came back from a 20 point deficit (that we shouldn't have been in in the first place) and gave the mavs hell. That one play may have cost us the series, however it's a team game and I can't blame one guy. I actually don't blame anyone, a loss is a loss.

[sammy]

Where were his team mates who couldn't make a shot (Barry etc) throughput the game and just bricked! Manu willed us back from the double digit deficit and made the 3 point shot that put us ahead! So blaming Manu doesn't change anything and Manu is probably blaming himself already! Why didn't Pop change the lineup? Why didn't he do something different instead of the same small lineup which worked to allas advantage? Any kind of change would made allas have to make adjustments, but the same way and to their advantage! Manu you are my favorite player and you play with such heart and fearlessness! You will be back next year and healthy! We will return to claim what's ours!

[jmdetom]

Originally Posted by sammy

Where were his team mates who couldn't make a shot (Barry etc) throughput the game and just bricked! Manu willed us back from the double digit deficit and made the 3 point shot that put us ahead! So blaming Manu doesn't change anything and Manu is probably blaming himself already! Why didn't Pop change the lineup? Why didn't he do something different instead of the same small lineup which worked to allas advantage? Any kind of change would made allas have to make adjustments, but the same way and to their advantage! Manu you are my favorite player and you play with such heart and fearlessness! You will be back next year and healthy! We will return to claim what's ours!

love that spirit.

[LAsucksForever]

Originally Posted by bnwhuxley

I won't blame him for that mistake. It was big, but it didn't decide the game.

It did decide the game. Without the and-one, the game ends in regulation and we've got home games tomorrow and Friday. Even before Dirk made the free throw, I knew with absolute certainty that our season had ended with that foul.

[Rzarector7]

Originally Posted by skydawg

uh-uh..not blaming manu..this is pop's fault for playing the mavs game, and secondly-there were too many free throws missed in this series..

I agree on the Pop thing, but the FT's were going down for SA in this series, they shot better than I can remember in this series from the line. Tim even did well!

Originally Posted by Wannabeer

Man, my stomach still hurts everytime I THINK of that last play....I can imagine what its doing to Manu. I hope it doesnt effect how Manu plays the rest of his career, because it might.

That kept me up all night long, I got about 2 hours of sleep in and out thinking of it, and had to call in today basically to recover from that. That play haunted me all night long, I am sure it did him as well and most in here throughout the night.

[schematic]

Manu is a good man and I hope he remains with the Spurs until he retires! Dallas can keep Mark Cuban and Jason Terry! Go Spurs Go!

[magnificent]

he made a great play by making that 3, but he made a huge mental mistake when he hacked dirk when its obvious he had the layup. and then he has a chance to put the spurs up 2 and misses a layup in the closing seconds of regulation. manu's gonna be dealt

[pad300]

Originally Posted by magnificent

he made a great play by making that 3, but he made a huge mental mistake when he hacked dirk when its obvious he had the layup. and then he has a chance to put the spurs up 2 and misses a layup in the closing seconds of regulation. manu's gonna be dealt

Yes, him, Barry and Rasho for KG...

Any other stupid proposals Mags?

Back on topic.

Yeah, Gino screwed up. Still, he has the mental strength to throw it off and come back strong next year. With a summer to rest, and hopefully less injuries next year, we should get back what we lost this year.

[DizzG]

manu's gonna be dealt

just stop

no one wants to read that garbage

[rjv]

one thing we will just have to live with regarding manu is that he will just as much wow as he will occasionally have us dealing with the frustration of a bad choice. more often than not his wows will dominate. this year the bad choices just happened at the worst times.

[KAD]

He's a winner and I'll never fault him - we should not have them game 2 whne we di dnot show up. Dallas showed up for every game.

[Spurs Brazil]

Originally Posted by losspurs21

Manu is the ulitimate Warrior and has no reason to hang his head. He left it all on the court and I am tremendously grateful to have him in a Spurs uniform for life. I don't care if he ends up our 12th man one year, he should retire a Spur.

Long live Manu!!!! El Chingon.

OLE OLE OLE