duncan228
02-25-2010, 01:05 AM
Never normal — Ginobili's last leap (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Never_normal__Ginobilis_last_leap.html)
Buck Harvey
The previous time, Kevin Durant stood under the basket when Manu Ginobili flew out of bounds. This was in Oklahoma City.
Then, in the final seconds, Ginobili's body was parallel to the ground. Durant watched as Ginobili threw a no-look pass that led to a win.
This time convinced Durant.
“He's not normal,” Durant said.
San Antonio knew this about Ginobili already. But in a season that's not normal, either, Wednesday brought out the one, skinny, left-handed chance the Spurs have at becoming more than first-round fodder.
The evening began without many expectations. All Ginobili anticipated was the residue of the rodeo, but then he came out for warmups, seeing the AT&T Center floor for the first time since January, and he was mildly encouraged.
“It doesn't smell too bad,” he said.
Removing odors from his team would require more than a few gallons of Febreze. And when Gregg Popovich tossed out his 19th different starting lineup of the season, with Tony Parker still limping, the Spurs again looked like an eighth seed teetering toward the lottery.
Maybe this is what they ultimately are, especially with a demanding schedule the rest of the way. Maybe, when Ginobili tells Parker in one of those commercials, “Tony, get your tackle box, because it's time to go fish,” it's a theme Kenny and Charles joke about in April.
Maybe, too, Wednesday isn't a sample of what is possible. The Thunder had played the night before and then, because of injuries, went with a seven-man rotation against the Spurs.
Still, the Spurs were coming off disheartening losses to lottery teams. And with Durant emerging as the best of those below the Kobe-LeBron kingdom, well, the Spurs aren't in position to shrug anymore when things go right.
The Thunder helped. They went the final four minutes without a field goal, similar to what they did the night before against the Suns, and maybe they are confused.
The Spurs are supposed to be their role model, aren't they?
But it was all there for the Thunder with a little less than three minutes left. Then they trailed by just a point when Durant took off and headed for what would surely become a fast-break dunk.
Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said he never saw Ginobili coming. Asked why, he shrugged.
“He's Manu,” said Brooks.
Brooks talked again about that game in Oklahoma City. He loved how Ginobili missed all 10 of his shots that night, yet he was there at the end diving out of bounds.
“He's just a winner,” Brooks said. “He's special.”
Again, San Antonio already knows this. But the city hadn't seen this Ginobili the past two postseasons; there were some doubting if anyone would again.
He showed signs this season, and more on the road trip. And then came this night, when, at the end, he seemed to be involved in every rebound, every assist, every score.
The block overshadowed all of it, and the victim was a reason. Durant already had 21 points after three quarters, and he seemed certain to get to the 25-point mark he had hit in every game since mid-December.
So there was Durant, 6-foot-9 and stretching for the lead — with Ginobili sneaking his hand above the rim.
Durant smiled afterward talking about it, as if he oddly appreciated the moment, too. He said it was “a big-time play,” and he made no excuses.
“Clean,” he said.
To the Thunder, this time was like the previous time. And for the Spurs, this was like the good times, when Ginobili had lift, and he made plays, and he won games the Spurs shouldn't have won.
Which, in those years, was normal.
Buck Harvey
The previous time, Kevin Durant stood under the basket when Manu Ginobili flew out of bounds. This was in Oklahoma City.
Then, in the final seconds, Ginobili's body was parallel to the ground. Durant watched as Ginobili threw a no-look pass that led to a win.
This time convinced Durant.
“He's not normal,” Durant said.
San Antonio knew this about Ginobili already. But in a season that's not normal, either, Wednesday brought out the one, skinny, left-handed chance the Spurs have at becoming more than first-round fodder.
The evening began without many expectations. All Ginobili anticipated was the residue of the rodeo, but then he came out for warmups, seeing the AT&T Center floor for the first time since January, and he was mildly encouraged.
“It doesn't smell too bad,” he said.
Removing odors from his team would require more than a few gallons of Febreze. And when Gregg Popovich tossed out his 19th different starting lineup of the season, with Tony Parker still limping, the Spurs again looked like an eighth seed teetering toward the lottery.
Maybe this is what they ultimately are, especially with a demanding schedule the rest of the way. Maybe, when Ginobili tells Parker in one of those commercials, “Tony, get your tackle box, because it's time to go fish,” it's a theme Kenny and Charles joke about in April.
Maybe, too, Wednesday isn't a sample of what is possible. The Thunder had played the night before and then, because of injuries, went with a seven-man rotation against the Spurs.
Still, the Spurs were coming off disheartening losses to lottery teams. And with Durant emerging as the best of those below the Kobe-LeBron kingdom, well, the Spurs aren't in position to shrug anymore when things go right.
The Thunder helped. They went the final four minutes without a field goal, similar to what they did the night before against the Suns, and maybe they are confused.
The Spurs are supposed to be their role model, aren't they?
But it was all there for the Thunder with a little less than three minutes left. Then they trailed by just a point when Durant took off and headed for what would surely become a fast-break dunk.
Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said he never saw Ginobili coming. Asked why, he shrugged.
“He's Manu,” said Brooks.
Brooks talked again about that game in Oklahoma City. He loved how Ginobili missed all 10 of his shots that night, yet he was there at the end diving out of bounds.
“He's just a winner,” Brooks said. “He's special.”
Again, San Antonio already knows this. But the city hadn't seen this Ginobili the past two postseasons; there were some doubting if anyone would again.
He showed signs this season, and more on the road trip. And then came this night, when, at the end, he seemed to be involved in every rebound, every assist, every score.
The block overshadowed all of it, and the victim was a reason. Durant already had 21 points after three quarters, and he seemed certain to get to the 25-point mark he had hit in every game since mid-December.
So there was Durant, 6-foot-9 and stretching for the lead — with Ginobili sneaking his hand above the rim.
Durant smiled afterward talking about it, as if he oddly appreciated the moment, too. He said it was “a big-time play,” and he made no excuses.
“Clean,” he said.
To the Thunder, this time was like the previous time. And for the Spurs, this was like the good times, when Ginobili had lift, and he made plays, and he won games the Spurs shouldn't have won.
Which, in those years, was normal.