duncan228
01-05-2009, 12:07 AM
Ginobili slowly moving closer to feeling like himself (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Ginobili_slowly_moving_closer_to_feeling_like_hims elf.html)
Jeff McDonald
MIAMI Manu Ginobili dribbled to his left, turned a corner and, shifting into another gear, sped headlong toward the paint. He got within eight feet of the basket when Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala appeared in front of him, an unavoidable obstacle to a layup.
Braking on a dime, Ginobili leaned in, drew contact from Iguodala and, almost as an afterthought on his way to the ground, lofted the ball at the basket.
Swish. And a foul.
That play, late in the first quarter of the Spurs' victory over the 76ers on Saturday, was the kind Ginobili has made hundreds of times in his basketball life. Which is what made it such an important signpost in his ongoing recovery from offseason ankle surgery.
There have been a couple of possessions where I felt like it was me again, Ginobili said. I haven't felt like that for a whole game yet. I'm working on it, trying to get that back.
As the Spurs head to Miami tonight to put their slim lead in the Southwest Division on the line, Ginobili is feeling better than he has all season. He is coming off a 21-point outing against the Sixers that matched his season high, a performance that included a handful of acrobatic clutch baskets that could only be described as Ginobili-esque.
And yet, he says he still isn't feeling quite like himself.
In 21 games since making his injury-belated season debut, Ginobili is averaging 14.6 points. Most teams would love to get that kind of production out of a sixth man, but that number represents a drop of more than five points from Ginobili's career high average of 19.9 last season.
He has been tentative at times, hurried at others, and has lacked his trademark explosion to the rim.
His conditioning still isn't quite there, as evidenced by the burn in his legs in the fourth quarter. His timing is a bit off, a fact of which he is reminded each time he rifles a pass into the third row.
I'm not playing like last year, Ginobili said. I'm not shooting as well. I'm not going to the rim as hard. I don't know if it is mental or physical or what, but there are some things in my game I am just not feeling yet.
All of this, of course, is to be expected. It is part of the recovery process.
Ginobili opted for surgery after aggravating a pre-existing condition, diagnosed as a posterior impingement of his left ankle, at the Beijing Olympics in September. It would be nearly three months before he'd so much as practice competitively again.
Basketball, it seems, is nothing like riding a bike.
He was out for quite a while, coach Gregg Popovich said. He's going to try too hard sometimes, and sometimes he'll back off and think too much. It will take a while for him to get comfortable again, and just play without thinking.
Tony Parker, the Spurs point guard and once upon a time Ginobili's bum ankle brother, can't begin to fathom the frustration his teammate has been through.
Parker's return from a moderately sprained right ankle suffered on Nov. 7, coincidentally in a home loss to the same Miami team the Spurs face tonight was relatively quick and thorough.
He was the Spurs' leading scorer the night he went down, and after missing nine games, he remains their leading scorer at 21.5 points per contest. At times over the past few weeks, Parker has been the Spurs' best player.
But Parker's ailment was merely a sprained ankle, the kind of thing that happens once a week in the NBA. Ginobili's injury required surgery, and that is a whole different recovery ballgame.
All Parker knows is that he has yet to see the real Ginobili this season.
He definitely doesn't look 100 percent, Parker said.
Popovich agrees.
I'd say he's about 90 percent, Popovich said.
Another thing Parker and his coach agree upon: If the Spurs hope to return the NBA mountaintop, Ginobili's full recovery will be priority No. 1 over the next 31/2 months.
If we want any shot any shot to win the championship, Parker said, we need Manu to be Manu.
The good news for the Spurs is that Ginobili can see himself coming right around the corner. All it takes is time.
I'm not worried, Ginobili said. We have a pretty good record, and that's the most important thing. My thing is going to come sooner or later.
Jeff McDonald
MIAMI Manu Ginobili dribbled to his left, turned a corner and, shifting into another gear, sped headlong toward the paint. He got within eight feet of the basket when Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala appeared in front of him, an unavoidable obstacle to a layup.
Braking on a dime, Ginobili leaned in, drew contact from Iguodala and, almost as an afterthought on his way to the ground, lofted the ball at the basket.
Swish. And a foul.
That play, late in the first quarter of the Spurs' victory over the 76ers on Saturday, was the kind Ginobili has made hundreds of times in his basketball life. Which is what made it such an important signpost in his ongoing recovery from offseason ankle surgery.
There have been a couple of possessions where I felt like it was me again, Ginobili said. I haven't felt like that for a whole game yet. I'm working on it, trying to get that back.
As the Spurs head to Miami tonight to put their slim lead in the Southwest Division on the line, Ginobili is feeling better than he has all season. He is coming off a 21-point outing against the Sixers that matched his season high, a performance that included a handful of acrobatic clutch baskets that could only be described as Ginobili-esque.
And yet, he says he still isn't feeling quite like himself.
In 21 games since making his injury-belated season debut, Ginobili is averaging 14.6 points. Most teams would love to get that kind of production out of a sixth man, but that number represents a drop of more than five points from Ginobili's career high average of 19.9 last season.
He has been tentative at times, hurried at others, and has lacked his trademark explosion to the rim.
His conditioning still isn't quite there, as evidenced by the burn in his legs in the fourth quarter. His timing is a bit off, a fact of which he is reminded each time he rifles a pass into the third row.
I'm not playing like last year, Ginobili said. I'm not shooting as well. I'm not going to the rim as hard. I don't know if it is mental or physical or what, but there are some things in my game I am just not feeling yet.
All of this, of course, is to be expected. It is part of the recovery process.
Ginobili opted for surgery after aggravating a pre-existing condition, diagnosed as a posterior impingement of his left ankle, at the Beijing Olympics in September. It would be nearly three months before he'd so much as practice competitively again.
Basketball, it seems, is nothing like riding a bike.
He was out for quite a while, coach Gregg Popovich said. He's going to try too hard sometimes, and sometimes he'll back off and think too much. It will take a while for him to get comfortable again, and just play without thinking.
Tony Parker, the Spurs point guard and once upon a time Ginobili's bum ankle brother, can't begin to fathom the frustration his teammate has been through.
Parker's return from a moderately sprained right ankle suffered on Nov. 7, coincidentally in a home loss to the same Miami team the Spurs face tonight was relatively quick and thorough.
He was the Spurs' leading scorer the night he went down, and after missing nine games, he remains their leading scorer at 21.5 points per contest. At times over the past few weeks, Parker has been the Spurs' best player.
But Parker's ailment was merely a sprained ankle, the kind of thing that happens once a week in the NBA. Ginobili's injury required surgery, and that is a whole different recovery ballgame.
All Parker knows is that he has yet to see the real Ginobili this season.
He definitely doesn't look 100 percent, Parker said.
Popovich agrees.
I'd say he's about 90 percent, Popovich said.
Another thing Parker and his coach agree upon: If the Spurs hope to return the NBA mountaintop, Ginobili's full recovery will be priority No. 1 over the next 31/2 months.
If we want any shot any shot to win the championship, Parker said, we need Manu to be Manu.
The good news for the Spurs is that Ginobili can see himself coming right around the corner. All it takes is time.
I'm not worried, Ginobili said. We have a pretty good record, and that's the most important thing. My thing is going to come sooner or later.