The Manuest Games Ever Ginobilied (#11 and #12)

[Spurs7794]

This past season was depressing for me for so many reasons. Tim Duncan retiring was bad enough and I still haven't gotten over that. But then we had Tony Parker revitalizing himself in the playoffs only to go down to a terrible injury, Kawhi dominating the Warriors only to go down to a terribly timed injury and LaMarcus Aldridge not being removed from the Spurs. And to top it off, Manu was possibly going to retire. Granted, he played great in the Warriors series and it would have been a strong ending to his fantastic career but still, I always want more.


Well with the news that Manu is coming back for at least one more glorious or less than glorious run, I decided to write about my favorite Manu games of all time (playoffs only). But beware, this ain't no simple top 5 or top 10 list, no sirree bob. This, my friends, is a TOP 12 list. Enjoy.




#12 2008 Western Conference First Round Game 1 vs Phoenix
All Spurs fans either remember this game or know about this game. Its that classic double-overtime game where the Suns (after years of being tormented by the Spurs) threw everything they had at us and the Spurs still pulled a rabbit out of their hat. It felt like this game was the exclamation point on the Spurs dominance of the Suns during the mid-2000's. Also, Tim Duncan had his shot which probably is his iconic image.



Of course, it would not be remembered as fondly by us Spurs fans if Manu hadn't had a burst in the second OT. Timmy was exhausted from carrying the Spurs in the first 53 minutes and pumping his fist really hard after his three. Parker had fouled out and the Suns kept on coming at us. Manu hadn't scored since the Spurs first possession of the fourth quarter but, like he is prone to do, decided now was the time to take over the game. He drove repeatedly at Shaq, swinging those elbows viciously during each ferocious drive to create space and keep the Spurs on top. He did it once, twice, three times. Then after Steve Nash tied it on a ridiculous drifting, falling out of bounds, corner three, Manu had the ball. He took his time, jab stepped a couple times and then took Raja Bell to the basket for an incredible leaning bank shot with about two seconds left. Game over.


So you may ask why is this game this high on my list? Well how many people really remember that Steve Nash shot that preceded Manu's shot that I mentioned above? Most people don't remember that shot because the Suns lost the game (and the only ones who do remember it are either Suns fans or Spurs fans who have rewatched this game several times). And you know what? Timmy's three would have been forgotten if the Spurs lost this game. Just like his shot over Shaq in Game 5 in 2004. Just like his dominant Game 6 against Miami in 2013. Manu's finishing flourish made sure that Timmy's signature shot was immortalized. So thanks Manu, that was real swell of you!
Also it helps that this was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Spurs games ever.


#11 2003 Western Conference First Round Game 2 vs Phoenix
Manu never worried me before a big game (except for before Game 7 against Miami in 2013 but lets not talk about that). Throughout his career, he showed an incredible ability to hit big shots, (see above) make the winning defensive play and respond to adversity in a consistently amazing manner. This is the obscure game that showed me what kind of player he was in the toughest of moments and that's why it is #11 on my list.


Things were looking horrible in this game. The Spurs had already lost a heart-breaker in Game 1. Tony Parker struggled for the second straight game against Marbury and the Suns had us completely out of whack. Timmy had just pulled us back from a seven point hole in the fourth quarter but now both teams offenses were out of sync and we were definitely at risk of going down 0-2 against the 8th seed, up by only one with a minute left.


That's when Danny Ferry swung a pass to that rookie from Argentina with the shot clock running down. Manu was a sizzling 2/9 up to this point...and yet there was absolutely no hesitation on the shot when the ball came to him. He calmly stepped up and gave us the breathing room we needed and simultaneously generated my all-time favorite Mike Breen "BANG" call. I honestly think if the Spurs had lost this game, we would have lost the series and the Lakers would have won their 4th straight title.


This was not one of his better games. Hell, he's made MUCH bigger shots than this one. However, this shot is one of the only reasons I still have my VCR so that I can one day transfer this game to DVD.


Stay tuned for more of my favorite Manu games. For more Spurs stuff, check out my blog at https://lazystreamofthoughtlessness.com/ . Thank!

[Spurtacular]

Just the idea of the Lakers getting credit for a fourth straight title is sick. Went back to watch some of Game 2, but found nothing on YT. So watched part of Gm 1. F'ing Stoudemire banking a three with 7.9 left in regulation.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

And you know what? Timmy's three would have been forgotten if the Spurs lost this game. Just like his shot over Shaq in Game 5 in 2004.

"One lucky shot deserves another"
-Shaq

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Just the idea of the Lakers getting credit for a fourth straight title is sick. Went back to watch some of Game 2, but found nothing on YT. So watched part of Gm 1. F'ing Stoudemire banking a three with 7.9 left in regulation.
Spurs were down like 7 and 8 points late in the third and the first half of that fourth quarter. It was fugly. As the Spurs subbed out David for Danny Ferry (Kevin Willis was suspended for a bogus flagrant 2 foul in the first game)... Spurs were down 7, Suns had the ball on a dead ball with about 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter and there was a timeout,

...I was sitting there eating a Long John Silver's supreme fried platter dinner, the one with the fish, shrimp, clams, fries, and crab cake my mommy and grandma had brought home to me, thinking... is THIS it? Is THIS the way David's career is going to be remembered? 36-6 to end the regular season only to flame out in the first round against the most annoying, evil, petulant, trash-talking 8th seed of all time? This is awful. I thought my Spurs were better than this.

Well the Suns missed a shot, dinking and dunking happened, and Ferry made a corner 3. Tim was fouled on the play fighting for a potential rebound, and he made the free throw. 3 point game. There was hope. Amare went off a bit, but Tim kept making tough shots at the rim. Spurs finally got the lead, went up 3 for a moment, some buckets were traded which led to Manu's critical three pointer from the right elbow with about a minute left to put us up 4. We managed to escape and split on our home floor. Not great, considering we'd lost both in Phoenix in the regular season, but it was a start.

[spurs10]

Good stuff! Thanks!

[Capt Bringdown]

http://www.espn.com/photo/2006/0605/nba_a_nowitzki_430.jpg

[superbigtime]

Very nice dude you rock!!

[Spurtacular]

Spurs were down like 7 and 8 points late in the third and the first half of that fourth quarter. It was fugly. As the Spurs subbed out David for Danny Ferry (Kevin Willis was suspended for a bogus flagrant 2 foul in the first game)... Spurs were down 7, Suns had the ball on a dead ball with about 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter and there was a timeout,

...I was sitting there eating a Long John Silver's supreme fried platter dinner, the one with the fish, shrimp, clams, fries, and crab cake my mommy and grandma had brought home to me, thinking... is THIS it? Is THIS the way David's career is going to be remembered? 36-6 to end the regular season only to flame out in the first round against the most annoying, evil, petulant, trash-talking 8th seed of all time? This is awful. I thought my Spurs were better than this.

Well the Suns missed a shot, dinking and dunking happened, and Ferry made a corner 3. Tim was fouled on the play fighting for a potential rebound, and he made the free throw. 3 point game. There was hope. Amare went off a bit, but Tim kept making tough shots at the rim. Spurs finally got the lead, went up 3 for a moment, some buckets were traded which led to Manu's critical three pointer from the right elbow with about a minute left to put us up 4. We managed to escape and split on our home floor. Not great, considering we'd lost both in Phoenix in the regular season, but it was a start.

I have a vague recollection of it. I never was really worried about the Spurs losing to the Marbury led Suns. The Steve Nash Suns scared the hell out of me; and in fact, we lost to one of his teams; and it would've been two.

[Play Boban]

:cry

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I have a vague recollection of it. I never was really worried about the Spurs losing to the Marbury led Suns. The Steve Nash Suns scared the hell out of me; and in fact, we lost to one of his teams; and it would've been two.
It would NOT have been two if the Spurs lost game 1 in OT in 2008. Spurs were a million times better than the Shaq Suns teams. The only Nash Suns team that was ever competitive with us before "The Skunker" was in '07. The one and only time Spurs got the benefit of the league/refs and that was because the team we played was even less liked by the league.

Marbury led Suns scared the shit out of me. I turned 9 years old in March 2003. They dominated us all season. Parker quivered like a fetus every time he saw Starbury. The only time we beat them all year long up to game 2 was a very closely contested OT game in SA in late January, where Starbury sunk a ridiculous bank-shot 3 to force OT in that game, almost exactly just like the one he made to win game 1 at the buzzer in OT. Spurs ground that one out in OT but Phoenix beat us the other 3 times, including 2 of our last 6 losses on the year in our 36-6 stretch to end the regular season.

All 4 games against PHX that year were competitive, but the Suns just had our number and Starbury was way more clutch than Parker when it mattered. Also, they had rising young stud Joe Johnson, do-it-all Marion, rookie phenom Amare who was the most athletic big in the league already, and vets like Penny Hardaway who served as glue guys. That team was 44-38 but way better than that record and a very atypical 8-seed. They should have won 50+ but injuries and the West was so damn good that year. The next year Starbury went crazy, smoked weed and ate Vaseline, forced a trade to NYK and that threat was negated, fortunately. But that team creeped me the fuck out and I was so relieved to beat them in 6 even if it meant another inevitable series loss to the Lakers.

But I was never scared of any of the Nash teams. Not the Mavs in '01 or '03, not the Suns thereafter. Nash teams always curled up in the fetal position in the face of elite defense to stop the run and gun gimmick. When the Mavs ditched Nash and went isoball with AJ, I was fucking scared of them all of a sudden and my worries proved accurate in '06.

[Spurtacular]

It would NOT have been two if the Spurs lost game 1 in OT in 2008. Spurs were a million times better than the Shaq Suns teams. The only Nash Suns team that was ever competitive with us before "The Skunker" was in '07. The one and only time Spurs got the benefit of the league/refs and that was because the team we played was even less liked by the league.

Marbury led Suns scared the shit out of me. I turned 9 years old in March 2003. They dominated us all season. Parker quivered like a fetus every time he saw Starbury. The only time we beat them all year long up to game 2 was a very closely contested OT game in SA in late January, where Starbury sunk a ridiculous bank-shot 3 to force OT in that game, almost exactly just like the one he made to win game 1 at the buzzer in OT. Spurs ground that one out in OT but Phoenix beat us the other 3 times, including 2 of our last 6 losses on the year in our 36-6 stretch to end the regular season.

All 4 games against PHX that year were competitive, but the Suns just had our number and Starbury was way more clutch than Parker when it mattered. Also, they had rising young stud Joe Johnson, do-it-all Marion, rookie phenom Amare who was the most athletic big in the league already, and vets like Penny Hardaway who served as glue guys. That team was 44-38 but way better than that record and a very atypical 8-seed. They should have won 50+ but injuries and the West was so damn good that year. The next year Starbury went crazy, smoked weed and ate Vaseline, forced a trade to NYK and that threat was negated, fortunately. But that team creeped me the fuck out and I was so relieved to beat them in 6 even if it meant another inevitable series loss to the Lakers.

But I was never scared of any of the Nash teams. Not the Mavs in '01 or '03, not the Suns thereafter. Nash teams always curled up in the fetal position in the face of elite defense to stop the run and gun gimmick. When the Mavs ditched Nash and went isoball with AJ, I was fucking scared of them all of a sudden and my worries proved accurate in '06.

Yea, those Suns were good for an 8 seed; and I was getting a bit worried when were down late in Game 2 after frittering away Game 1. But I still didn't feel like an underdog like against some of the Nash Sun teams, especially the Horry hip-check year. But we just had way more weapons and experience. That series went 6 when it should've went 4 or 5, honestly. But even spotting them a game, it only went 6.

[32fastest]

:bobo props homie

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Yea, those Suns were good for an 8 seed; and I was getting a bit worried when were down late in Game 2 after frittering away Game 1. But I still didn't feel like an underdog like against some of the Nash Sun teams, especially the Horry hip-check year. But we just had way more weapons and experience. That series went 6 when it should've went 4 or 5, honestly. But even spotting them a game, it only went 6.

Which one did we "spot" them, tbh? Are we still talking '03 or '07.

Spurs weren't an underdog against any of the Nash Suns teams except maybe the one they won in '10. Experience and defense vs. fun to watch, flashy but defense is "try" to keep your man in front and "try" to not give up second chance opportunities.

[Spurtacular]

Which one did we "spot" them, tbh? Are we still talking '03 or '07.

Spurs weren't an underdog against any of the Nash Suns teams except maybe the one they won in '10. Experience and defense vs. fun to watch, flashy but defense is "try" to keep your man in front and "try" to not give up second chance opportunities.

03. Marbury wasn't a guy that led teams to playoff series wins; never was. You let him get his points and just take advantage of your spots. Just make sure you push him off the extend elbow jumpers where the guy was automatic.

07. Suns had home court and momentum 'til the Horry hip check and ramifcations thereof. If the Spurs hadn't have choked away Game 4, it'd be a different story.

[Spurtacular]

Nash-led teams were good. Besides the Spurs, they were the ones I would have preferred to have rang 03-07.

[callo1]

I know it wasn't a playoff game, but in '05 regular season game against the Suns, both Timmy and TP sat out. Manu had 48 and led the Spurs to a win in that game...it kind of sent a message to the Suns. I remember Amare getting fouled on a dunk and doing pushups before he went to the line. Of course Amare missed the free throws. Manu was a complete beast in that game.

Manu's block on Durant at the rim on a breakaway dunk will always be remembered, as will his dunk on Yao Ming.

As far as playoffs go, the '05 playoff series will always be considered Manu's best performance in my mind. I remember how in the first round against Denver, the Nuggets fouled Manu hard every time he took the ball to the rim...he took a beating, but never quit.

Manu giving Ray Allen a taste of his own medicine and giving him a shove followed by a dunk in the '14 Finals is certainly up there as well.

When Manu came into the league, he got treated like a typical Euro and the refs let other players foul him excessively. Manu was one of the first European players in the NBA to prove that he not only belonged in the NBA, but he could out play many of the best U.S. home-grown stars.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Nash-led teams were good. Besides the Spurs, they were the ones I would have preferred to have rang 03-07.

I didn't mind who did ring though... we did it 3 times, and the in-between years our 2 biggest enemies got beat in the Finals. Pretty nice era

[UNT Eagles 2016]

I know it wasn't a playoff game, but in '05 regular season game against the Suns, both Timmy and TP sat out. Manu had 48 and led the Spurs to a win in that game...it kind of sent a message to the Suns. I remember Amare getting fouled on a dunk and doing pushups before he went to the line. Of course Amare missed the free throws. Manu was a complete beast in that game.

Manu's block on Durant at the rim on a breakaway dunk will always be remembered, as will his dunk on Yao Ming.

As far as playoffs go, the '05 playoff series will always be considered Manu's best performance in my mind. I remember how in the first round against Denver, the Nuggets fouled Manu hard every time he took the ball to the rim...he took a beating, but never quit.

Manu giving Ray Allen a taste of his own medicine and giving him a shove followed by a dunk in the '14 Finals is certainly up there as well.

When Manu came into the league, he got treated like a typical Euro and the refs let other players foul him excessively. Manu was one of the first European players in the NBA to prove that he not only belonged in the NBA, but he could out play many of the best U.S. home-grown stars.

No they didn't. TP was on the bench most of that game due to poor play (replaced by a combo of Barry/Udrih in the second half), but Duncan was a big part of that game.

There was another game in PHX late in the 2005 regular season which Pop punted, TD was hurt and Manu was resting, and the Spurs came awfully close but ultimately lost.

[TheGreatYacht]

http://www.espn.com/photo/2006/0605/nba_a_nowitzki_430.jpg
:lmao

[UNT Eagles 2016]

http://www.espn.com/photo/2006/0605/nba_a_nowitzki_430.jpg

Derp looked like a dog, not a homedog but an actual canine, for much of his years in the NBA.

[callo1]

No they didn't. TP was on the bench most of that game due to poor play (replaced by a combo of Barry/Udrih in the second half), but Duncan was a big part of that game.

There was another game in PHX late in the 2005 regular season which Pop punted, TD was hurt and Manu was resting, and the Spurs came awfully close but ultimately lost.

You are absolutely correct. Some how I had confused Manu's monster game with the time Pop held out Manu and Timmy, and Robert Sarver did the chicken dance thing.

What can I say...I'm getting old:)

[UNT Eagles 2016]

You are absolutely correct. Some how I had confused Manu's monster game with the time Pop held out Manu and Timmy, and Robert Sarver did the chicken dance thing.

What can I say...I'm getting old:)

Pop didn't "hold out" Timmy for that game in mid March, just Manu. Timmy was legitimately injured, grade 2 sprained ankle, due to the Pisstons' scumbags up front injuring him in the first 2 minutes of the Sunday afternoon game in Detroit.. I never got Spurfan's soft spot for those dirty faggots. I mean I appreciate them for breaking up the Lakers but that's literally all. They were the evil of evils in 2006.

[MB20]

Outside of the games vs the Suns, my memory goes back to '04 against the Lakers. No Tim and Tony. Lakers with 4 future HoFs. Double overtime loss.

This game had the pass between Kobe´s legs, for a Horry dunk.

[Blackjack]

Outside of the games vs the Suns, my memory goes back to '04 against the Lakers. No Tim and Tony. Lakers with 4 future HoFs. Double overtime loss.

This game had the pass between Kobe´s legs, for a Horry dunk.

That was definitely my "Holy Shit!" moment for Manu (for the positive).