Rodriguez: 2009-10: A Season To Build On

[duncan228]

2009-10: A Season To Build On
Ken Rodriguez
Spurs.com

Feet anchored to the floor, Manu Ginobili delivered a jaw-dropping moment on Halloween night. He knocked down a flying bat -- a swat that became a YouTube sensation with more than one million views.

Body high in the air, Ginobili delivered another show-stopper on Feb. 24. With his left hand a foot above the rim, he rejected a soaring Kevin Durant dunk attempt -- a swat some call the block of the year.

Those two snapshots are telling. In the first, Ginobili, like the Spurs, remained grounded for the first half of the season. They won some games but without much lift from their Argentine wonder. In the second, Ginobili went Air Jordan, carrying the post-All-Star break Spurs to familiar heights.

In one grueling two week stretch, San Antonio gelled around Ginobili to beat the Thunder, the Cavs, the Celtics and the Lakers. By the end of the regular season, the Spurs had notched their 11th consecutive 50-win season, and Ginobili had re-established himself as an elite player.

Those were two positives San Antonio took away from the season. There were others. The improvement of George Hill. The emergence of DeJuan Blair. The first-round playoff victory over the second-seeded Mavs. It was enough for Coach Gregg Popovich to conclude, "I feel good about the year. I feel good about our guys. Now we'll get to work and see what we can do to make the team better."


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Spurs 2009-10 Season in Pictures

http://www.nba.com/spurs/photos/100518_1.html

[DesignatedT]

good read.

[m33p0]

If he wasn't rejecting Durant at 11 feet, he was blocking Kevin Garnett at the rim and sparking a debate: Which stop was better?

that one. should have been a block, imo.

[DynastySpurs210]

620,192 Views!! On mine :P