urunobili
03-31-2011, 11:35 AM
http://argentina.manuginobili.com/ginobili_110331.html
There is no Crisis in San Antonio. If we don’t get the number 1 seed we’ll be ok anyway.
2011-03-31 / by Manu
Translation urunobili
I imagine that you’d first like to know how am I from the left quad injury and if I can play vs. Boston tonight. Truth is I’m feeling much better, it almost doesn’t hurt while touching it and I was able to practice with the team for a while yesterday. I felt my leg slightly weak and I didn’t want to force the issue too much though. The day before I did a mild cycling and a treadmill workout. Anyway, official word is that I’m “doubtful” for tonight’s game. Like many times happens, these situations are resolved minutes before the game. We will then decide if I’m playing or not. I think I have chances, but if I don’t play this game, I’ll be active for the next one for sure.
Last Sunday I had a collision with Marc Gasol from Memphis that hit my thigh and I couldn’t stretch my leg and hurt a lot, that’s why they immediately iced the area on the bench and I couldn’t play the following day versus Portland. It was the first game I missed this season but that’s normal, in 82 games of the regular season you always miss some.
The rest of the guys recovering from their injuries are doing fine too. Tony Parker (left knee contusion) and Antonio McDyess (Back spasms) that also didn’t play against Portland will play, and surely their absences were more for being on the cautious side. Tim Duncan however is still doubtful. He has gotten a lot better from his left ankle sprain and also did some basketball practice with us yesterday for a while but that’s another game time decision. Obviously he wants to play but coach Pop is worried. He prefers to have him 100% for the playoffs.
We’ve been having a very good season with few injuries, like never before but always at some point it happens.
Tonight’s game against Boston at home is really important because now the possibility of being the number one seed overall is jeopardized and we need a victory after four straight losses. Boston is a great team, very experienced and that defends really well, but we believe that we also are and that we can beat them. We’re already in the final stage of the season and we need to play each day better, because if you get distracted in the Playoffs you’re out in the first round.
More so, we have a very tough schedule to end the season. Eight very difficult matches and we’re coming from critical mistakes at crunch time committing errors and imprecisions too. This is something that hadn’t happened to us during the season this year. But there is no crisis in San Antonio; we simply have to go back to our best level. We know that we didn’t lose because we played bad or that we were off. We could have won those four games and we didn’t because of the way we closed them. We know that in 82 games you can have losing streaks. But anyway, we’re ok. If at the beginning of the season you would have told me that we would be leading the league with a 3 game advantage just 2 weeks from the end of the regular season I would have signed up for it immediately!
We know that it’s complicated, but if we lose the number 1 seed nothing happens. We have won the championship without that number one seed; though we understand that today we have a great opportunity to assure it and we want to do it. Anyway, any of the rivals that we’ll be facing on the first round will be tough because the west is very competitive. If the playoffs started today we would be facing Memphis which has defeated us already, but as they’re all so close in between them it could also be Portland (currently number 6) that have defeated us twice. Also Houston (9th) if they’re able to gain a spot in the first eight could be tough. We once went to overtime with them and in the other Luifa Scola didn’t play. Maybe the most accessible rival today could be New Orleans (7th) because they just lost David West for the season, but only because of that.
Truth is that the Lakers got really close in our conference and Chicago on the east; they’re both 3 losses behind us. The Lakers run doesn’t surprise me because they started slowly. They found their rhythm when it was necessary. What I find more unexpected is Chicago’s positioning that is first on its conference. I think Derrick Rose has been the main factor; it is incredible how he generates spacing and how well he drives to the hoop; a Superstar, for real. Chicago took advantage of the ups and downs of both Boston and Miami to be on top.
The most difficult is about to come, but also the nicest part the one that I always want to be a part of.
MANU
There is no Crisis in San Antonio. If we don’t get the number 1 seed we’ll be ok anyway.
2011-03-31 / by Manu
Translation urunobili
I imagine that you’d first like to know how am I from the left quad injury and if I can play vs. Boston tonight. Truth is I’m feeling much better, it almost doesn’t hurt while touching it and I was able to practice with the team for a while yesterday. I felt my leg slightly weak and I didn’t want to force the issue too much though. The day before I did a mild cycling and a treadmill workout. Anyway, official word is that I’m “doubtful” for tonight’s game. Like many times happens, these situations are resolved minutes before the game. We will then decide if I’m playing or not. I think I have chances, but if I don’t play this game, I’ll be active for the next one for sure.
Last Sunday I had a collision with Marc Gasol from Memphis that hit my thigh and I couldn’t stretch my leg and hurt a lot, that’s why they immediately iced the area on the bench and I couldn’t play the following day versus Portland. It was the first game I missed this season but that’s normal, in 82 games of the regular season you always miss some.
The rest of the guys recovering from their injuries are doing fine too. Tony Parker (left knee contusion) and Antonio McDyess (Back spasms) that also didn’t play against Portland will play, and surely their absences were more for being on the cautious side. Tim Duncan however is still doubtful. He has gotten a lot better from his left ankle sprain and also did some basketball practice with us yesterday for a while but that’s another game time decision. Obviously he wants to play but coach Pop is worried. He prefers to have him 100% for the playoffs.
We’ve been having a very good season with few injuries, like never before but always at some point it happens.
Tonight’s game against Boston at home is really important because now the possibility of being the number one seed overall is jeopardized and we need a victory after four straight losses. Boston is a great team, very experienced and that defends really well, but we believe that we also are and that we can beat them. We’re already in the final stage of the season and we need to play each day better, because if you get distracted in the Playoffs you’re out in the first round.
More so, we have a very tough schedule to end the season. Eight very difficult matches and we’re coming from critical mistakes at crunch time committing errors and imprecisions too. This is something that hadn’t happened to us during the season this year. But there is no crisis in San Antonio; we simply have to go back to our best level. We know that we didn’t lose because we played bad or that we were off. We could have won those four games and we didn’t because of the way we closed them. We know that in 82 games you can have losing streaks. But anyway, we’re ok. If at the beginning of the season you would have told me that we would be leading the league with a 3 game advantage just 2 weeks from the end of the regular season I would have signed up for it immediately!
We know that it’s complicated, but if we lose the number 1 seed nothing happens. We have won the championship without that number one seed; though we understand that today we have a great opportunity to assure it and we want to do it. Anyway, any of the rivals that we’ll be facing on the first round will be tough because the west is very competitive. If the playoffs started today we would be facing Memphis which has defeated us already, but as they’re all so close in between them it could also be Portland (currently number 6) that have defeated us twice. Also Houston (9th) if they’re able to gain a spot in the first eight could be tough. We once went to overtime with them and in the other Luifa Scola didn’t play. Maybe the most accessible rival today could be New Orleans (7th) because they just lost David West for the season, but only because of that.
Truth is that the Lakers got really close in our conference and Chicago on the east; they’re both 3 losses behind us. The Lakers run doesn’t surprise me because they started slowly. They found their rhythm when it was necessary. What I find more unexpected is Chicago’s positioning that is first on its conference. I think Derrick Rose has been the main factor; it is incredible how he generates spacing and how well he drives to the hoop; a Superstar, for real. Chicago took advantage of the ups and downs of both Boston and Miami to be on top.
The most difficult is about to come, but also the nicest part the one that I always want to be a part of.
MANU