SPARKY
04-22-2007, 03:54 PM
http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/ginobili_300_050502.jpg
April 30, 2005
San Antonio 86, Denver 78
Ginobili Drives Spurs to Lead
DENVER, April 30 (Ticker) -- Manu Ginobili is demonstrating why the Denver Nuggets pursued him so doggedly in the offseason.
Ginobili scored 32 points and helped pick up the slack for an ineffective Tim Duncan as the San Antonio Spurs posted a sloppy 86-78 victory over the Denver Nuggets and took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.
The second-seeded Spurs have rebounded from a surprising loss in Game One and again look like the team that is expected to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
An All-Star who was courted hard by the Nuggets while a free agent last summer, Ginobili has been a huge factor in the last the two games despite being relegated to coming off the bench by coach Gregg Popovich. He scored 12 of his 17 points in the second quarter of Game Two, when the Spurs raced to a big lead and never were threatened.
"I saw the team was not being as aggressive as we were in Game Two, so coming from the bench I tried to change that because I always say when a couple guys are playing that tough it is contagious and they start doing the same," said Ginobili, who made 10-of-21 shots. "That is my job now coming from the bench, to change the mentality of the game."
"Manu carried us tonight," Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. "He is the only one that played well."
In this one, the Spurs watched Duncan - their star forward - pick up two fouls less than four minutes into the game and his third with 8:25 left in the second quarter - sending him to the bench for the remainder of the half.
But Ginobili stepped up in Duncan's absence, scoring 19 points in the first half to help the Spurs to a 50-41 lead.
When things got tight in the fourth quarter, Ginobili drilled a 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining to give the Spurs an 81-74 lead. The Argentine native also was the recipient of a flagrant foul by Carmelo Anthony, who was ejected with 22 seconds left.
San Antonio de Bexar Against the World.
April 30, 2005
San Antonio 86, Denver 78
Ginobili Drives Spurs to Lead
DENVER, April 30 (Ticker) -- Manu Ginobili is demonstrating why the Denver Nuggets pursued him so doggedly in the offseason.
Ginobili scored 32 points and helped pick up the slack for an ineffective Tim Duncan as the San Antonio Spurs posted a sloppy 86-78 victory over the Denver Nuggets and took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.
The second-seeded Spurs have rebounded from a surprising loss in Game One and again look like the team that is expected to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
An All-Star who was courted hard by the Nuggets while a free agent last summer, Ginobili has been a huge factor in the last the two games despite being relegated to coming off the bench by coach Gregg Popovich. He scored 12 of his 17 points in the second quarter of Game Two, when the Spurs raced to a big lead and never were threatened.
"I saw the team was not being as aggressive as we were in Game Two, so coming from the bench I tried to change that because I always say when a couple guys are playing that tough it is contagious and they start doing the same," said Ginobili, who made 10-of-21 shots. "That is my job now coming from the bench, to change the mentality of the game."
"Manu carried us tonight," Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. "He is the only one that played well."
In this one, the Spurs watched Duncan - their star forward - pick up two fouls less than four minutes into the game and his third with 8:25 left in the second quarter - sending him to the bench for the remainder of the half.
But Ginobili stepped up in Duncan's absence, scoring 19 points in the first half to help the Spurs to a 50-41 lead.
When things got tight in the fourth quarter, Ginobili drilled a 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining to give the Spurs an 81-74 lead. The Argentine native also was the recipient of a flagrant foul by Carmelo Anthony, who was ejected with 22 seconds left.
San Antonio de Bexar Against the World.