duncan228
05-24-2008, 01:23 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052408.9D.BKNspurs.ginobili.40517d1.html
Ginobili feels pain of losses in L.A.
By Mike Monroe
LOS ANGELES — Behind closed doors inside Staples Center in the hours before Game 2 of the NBA's Western Conference finals, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich huddled with his assistants and kicked around a nearly unthinkable notion.
Did they dare tell Manu Ginobili he would not play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday? Might the Spurs actually be better off by allowing Ginobili to get some rest to avoid more pressure on his jammed left ankle?
Ultimately, the coaches chose to bring Ginobili off the bench, rather than start him as they had in the final five games of the Spurs' semifinal triumph over the New Orleans Hornets.
Popovich said he and his staff fretted about the fatigue Ginobili had been fighting since playing more than 41 minutes with all-out effort in Game 7 in New Orleans on Monday.
“We knew (fatigue) would catch up this game, not last game,” Popovich said. “We thought our last game was our best shot to get something here, to just dig down and go after it. Obviously, we didn't get that done.”
Judging from the stunned look on Ginobili's face when he learned of the pregame consideration given to “shutting him down,” it was a good thing the coaches didn't go through with it. Popovich may have had a fight on his hands trying to deliver the decision.
“I didn't even know,” said the ultra-competitive Argentine guard when told. “I couldn't have agreed.
“I know I played terrible, but I believe I can perform better, really help the team and be more me.”
Ginobili certainly wasn't the usual Ginobili on Friday. He missed 6 of 8 shots, all four of his 3-point attempts, grabbed only two rebounds and committed two turnovers.
It was such an atypically bad performance that Popovich sounded as if he rued the decision to play him as much as he did — 23 minutes and 25 seconds.
“You know, we wanted to take Manu out earlier, and then he made a mistake and made two good moves in a row,” Popovich said. “And then I got excited again. ‘Is this a run? Am I going to take him out now?' Or he would have already been out.
“It was perfect timing at about the time we were going to pull him. He made a drive, or he made a shot, or he did something and we stuck with him for another two minutes, or whatever it was. Then, we pulled the plug on him.”
Ginobili, of course, insisted he felt better Friday than he had in Wednesday's game.
“I'm not taking it like the ankle is limiting me,” Ginobili said. “I am just playing bad. I've got to step up and do things better. I've got to be more aggressive. That's it. I've got to forget the ankle. It's not an issue now.
“I was just not aggressive enough. I did not make anything happen. So it's something I'm going to work on and come strong in Game 3.”
Ginobili tried to assume a much-too-large portion of blame for the Spurs' awful Game 2 performance, but his teammates rose to his defense.
“We're going to have to find a way to get contributions from a lot of different people,” Tim Duncan said. “Obviously, I'm going to have to shoot the ball better than I did in this game. I've got to be more aggressive than I was. Tony (Parker), the same. And we're going to have to get Manu going hard again.”
Ginobili, though, kept pointing the finger of blame at himself.
“That's the way I'm built,” he said. “I blame myself. I think that if I could have played at least OK these last two games it could have been 1-1. I am tough on myself, so I felt responsible.
“Game 3 is going to be a good test for me.”
Ginobili feels pain of losses in L.A.
By Mike Monroe
LOS ANGELES — Behind closed doors inside Staples Center in the hours before Game 2 of the NBA's Western Conference finals, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich huddled with his assistants and kicked around a nearly unthinkable notion.
Did they dare tell Manu Ginobili he would not play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday? Might the Spurs actually be better off by allowing Ginobili to get some rest to avoid more pressure on his jammed left ankle?
Ultimately, the coaches chose to bring Ginobili off the bench, rather than start him as they had in the final five games of the Spurs' semifinal triumph over the New Orleans Hornets.
Popovich said he and his staff fretted about the fatigue Ginobili had been fighting since playing more than 41 minutes with all-out effort in Game 7 in New Orleans on Monday.
“We knew (fatigue) would catch up this game, not last game,” Popovich said. “We thought our last game was our best shot to get something here, to just dig down and go after it. Obviously, we didn't get that done.”
Judging from the stunned look on Ginobili's face when he learned of the pregame consideration given to “shutting him down,” it was a good thing the coaches didn't go through with it. Popovich may have had a fight on his hands trying to deliver the decision.
“I didn't even know,” said the ultra-competitive Argentine guard when told. “I couldn't have agreed.
“I know I played terrible, but I believe I can perform better, really help the team and be more me.”
Ginobili certainly wasn't the usual Ginobili on Friday. He missed 6 of 8 shots, all four of his 3-point attempts, grabbed only two rebounds and committed two turnovers.
It was such an atypically bad performance that Popovich sounded as if he rued the decision to play him as much as he did — 23 minutes and 25 seconds.
“You know, we wanted to take Manu out earlier, and then he made a mistake and made two good moves in a row,” Popovich said. “And then I got excited again. ‘Is this a run? Am I going to take him out now?' Or he would have already been out.
“It was perfect timing at about the time we were going to pull him. He made a drive, or he made a shot, or he did something and we stuck with him for another two minutes, or whatever it was. Then, we pulled the plug on him.”
Ginobili, of course, insisted he felt better Friday than he had in Wednesday's game.
“I'm not taking it like the ankle is limiting me,” Ginobili said. “I am just playing bad. I've got to step up and do things better. I've got to be more aggressive. That's it. I've got to forget the ankle. It's not an issue now.
“I was just not aggressive enough. I did not make anything happen. So it's something I'm going to work on and come strong in Game 3.”
Ginobili tried to assume a much-too-large portion of blame for the Spurs' awful Game 2 performance, but his teammates rose to his defense.
“We're going to have to find a way to get contributions from a lot of different people,” Tim Duncan said. “Obviously, I'm going to have to shoot the ball better than I did in this game. I've got to be more aggressive than I was. Tony (Parker), the same. And we're going to have to get Manu going hard again.”
Ginobili, though, kept pointing the finger of blame at himself.
“That's the way I'm built,” he said. “I blame myself. I think that if I could have played at least OK these last two games it could have been 1-1. I am tough on myself, so I felt responsible.
“Game 3 is going to be a good test for me.”