Spursfanfromafar
12-16-2010, 02:37 PM
Ginobili sparks Spurs on offense (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/manu-ginobili-san-antonio-spurs-nba-spark-to-the-offense-121610)
It was entirely appropriate that Manu Ginobili hit the winning shot at the buzzer as San Antonio beat the Bucks 92-90, since he’s unquestionably the MVP of the Spurs’ offense.
Not Tim Duncan, whose skills are diminishing but who still retains a significant presence. Not Tony Parker, whose messy divorce proceedings have clearly sapped his on-court intensity. Not Richard Jefferson, who has finally learned how to play a precision half-court after being weaned on the run by Jason Kidd during his early seasons with the Nets.
When Manu is at the top of his game, so are the Spurs. And when the Spurs’ game gets too dull it’s time for Manu to demonstrate just how sharply honed his talents are in the clutch. Which is exactly what happened against the Bucks after the Spurs went into cruise control after building a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Coupled with San Antonio’s subsequent desultory ball movement and some inspired play off the bench by Milwaukee’s Drew Gooden, the Bucks rallied to put the outcome in doubt -- leaving Ginobili to almost single-handedly pull the game out of the fire.
OFFENSE
Ginobili’s line was impressive: 9-for-13 (including 2-3 from beyond the arc), four assists, one steal, and a game-high 26 points — all accumulated in 30 minutes of daylight. He did have four turnovers, mostly on too-long or too-short passes executed on the move. But five other passes created open shots (including a layup) that were missed by various teammates. And Manu even set four sturdy and useful cross-screens in the paint.
Let us count the ways in which Ginobili scored:
Two buckets on breaks. Two layups as he maneuvered through the entire Milwakuee defense out of 1-4 alignments with the clock about to expire at the end of both the first and the third quarters. A running lefty hook. A trey on the receving end of a kickout pass. A layup resulting from his moving without the ball in a half-court set.
And then came his heroics in the closing minutes of the game: A huge 3-ball followed (after a pair of complicated layups were blocked by Andrew Bogut) by his game-winning deuce. This dramatic bucket resulted from still another iso situation in which Ginobili pulled left and turned a hard defensive bump by Luc Mbah A Moute into a step-back jumper that was in the air as the buzzer sounded.
DEFENSE
Ginobili was even a significant factor on defense. True, he was never seriously challenged by Mbah A Moute or Chris Douglas-Roberts. The only points tallied against him were registered by Douglas-Roberts when Manu made too sincere a commitment to denying an entry pass in to Bogut in the low-post and couldn’t recover in time to prevent D-R from nailing an uncontested trey. Plus another 3-ball was yielded when he was forced to switch onto the speedy Brandon Jennings.
Otherwise, Ginobili played a quick-handed, ball-hawking brand of defense. Deflecting passes, denying passes, brush-bumping cutters, and even coming from the weak side to swipe the ball out of Bogut’s hands. Indeed, Ginobili may not be a forceful one-on-one defender but he does have terrific help-range.
In so many ways, this game showed why the Spurs have the league's best record at 21-3. These days more than ever, whenever a game is on the line and the Spurs need a savior, it’s Manu Ginobili to the rescue.
It was entirely appropriate that Manu Ginobili hit the winning shot at the buzzer as San Antonio beat the Bucks 92-90, since he’s unquestionably the MVP of the Spurs’ offense.
Not Tim Duncan, whose skills are diminishing but who still retains a significant presence. Not Tony Parker, whose messy divorce proceedings have clearly sapped his on-court intensity. Not Richard Jefferson, who has finally learned how to play a precision half-court after being weaned on the run by Jason Kidd during his early seasons with the Nets.
When Manu is at the top of his game, so are the Spurs. And when the Spurs’ game gets too dull it’s time for Manu to demonstrate just how sharply honed his talents are in the clutch. Which is exactly what happened against the Bucks after the Spurs went into cruise control after building a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Coupled with San Antonio’s subsequent desultory ball movement and some inspired play off the bench by Milwaukee’s Drew Gooden, the Bucks rallied to put the outcome in doubt -- leaving Ginobili to almost single-handedly pull the game out of the fire.
OFFENSE
Ginobili’s line was impressive: 9-for-13 (including 2-3 from beyond the arc), four assists, one steal, and a game-high 26 points — all accumulated in 30 minutes of daylight. He did have four turnovers, mostly on too-long or too-short passes executed on the move. But five other passes created open shots (including a layup) that were missed by various teammates. And Manu even set four sturdy and useful cross-screens in the paint.
Let us count the ways in which Ginobili scored:
Two buckets on breaks. Two layups as he maneuvered through the entire Milwakuee defense out of 1-4 alignments with the clock about to expire at the end of both the first and the third quarters. A running lefty hook. A trey on the receving end of a kickout pass. A layup resulting from his moving without the ball in a half-court set.
And then came his heroics in the closing minutes of the game: A huge 3-ball followed (after a pair of complicated layups were blocked by Andrew Bogut) by his game-winning deuce. This dramatic bucket resulted from still another iso situation in which Ginobili pulled left and turned a hard defensive bump by Luc Mbah A Moute into a step-back jumper that was in the air as the buzzer sounded.
DEFENSE
Ginobili was even a significant factor on defense. True, he was never seriously challenged by Mbah A Moute or Chris Douglas-Roberts. The only points tallied against him were registered by Douglas-Roberts when Manu made too sincere a commitment to denying an entry pass in to Bogut in the low-post and couldn’t recover in time to prevent D-R from nailing an uncontested trey. Plus another 3-ball was yielded when he was forced to switch onto the speedy Brandon Jennings.
Otherwise, Ginobili played a quick-handed, ball-hawking brand of defense. Deflecting passes, denying passes, brush-bumping cutters, and even coming from the weak side to swipe the ball out of Bogut’s hands. Indeed, Ginobili may not be a forceful one-on-one defender but he does have terrific help-range.
In so many ways, this game showed why the Spurs have the league's best record at 21-3. These days more than ever, whenever a game is on the line and the Spurs need a savior, it’s Manu Ginobili to the rescue.