What Minnesota papers said..."unguardable" Ginobili

[Solid D]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/15859552.html

Champs win by a thread after hero delivers at wire
The Wolves had the last shot and missed -- after unguardable Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had worked his magic for 44 points.
By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Thursday's stirring 100-99 loss to the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs at Target Center once again offered an answer, not to mention thunderous last-second theatrics.

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, the 57th player selected in the 1999 NBA draft, for the first time this season deftly dispatched -- with a 44-point performance that included 26 first-half points -- the game-winning shot from the lane with 6.2 seconds left.

Of course, it all depends upon who's doing the choosing of those second-round picks.

While the Wolves' history there is mostly ignominious, the Spurs have built a championship program that every other Western Conference team is trying to catch. They plucked Ginobili near the end of the 1999 draft, then found Frenchman Tony Parker with the last pick in the first round two years later. (It probably didn't hurt, either, that the Spurs selected Tim Duncan No. 1 in 1997.)

On a night when Parker and Wolves center Theo Ratliff returned to their team's lineups, the Wolves clobbered the Spurs in points in the paint 50-30 and in assists (26-20).

But ultimately Ginobili decided what Wolves coach Randy Wittman called a " of a game" with an all-encompassing performance that still came two points shy of the 46 points he put on LeBron James and Cleveland eight days before.

"He was good tonight, wasn't he?" Wittman said.

His winning shot wiped away a Wolves comeback from four points behind with 1:40 left after Sebastian Telfair was called for a flagrant foul on Ginobili that outraged and dumbfounded Wittman. He called it a foul, but not one worthy of a very valuable Spurs free throw made at that juncture of the game.

Al Jefferson scored five unanswered points, including a three-point play, that gave the Wolves a 99-98 lead with 39.2 seconds left. But the Wolves sandwiched missed shots by Randy Foye and Telfair (rimmed out just before the buzzer) around Ginobili's game-winner and lost at the very end against a top-notch team (Boston twice, the Spurs once) for the third time in a month.

"We're doing all the little things, so we have no choice but to be there in the end," Jefferson said after his 28-point, five-rebound night. "We've got 29 games left. We just have to get better, learn from it."

Ginobili has averaged 32.2 points and shot 73.9 percent (17-for-23) from three-point range in three victories over the Wolves this season.

So good is Ginobili that Wittman uttered these words afterward when asked if he wanted his players to double-team Duncan in a certain situation: "No, no," he said. "Never leave Ginobili."

[Solid D]

http://www.twincities.com/timberwolv...nclick_check=1

San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili too much for Minnesota Timberwolves
Spurs guard torches Wolves for 44 points
BY RICK ALONZO
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 02/22/2008 02:23:38 AM CST


Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson sat in front of his locker still wearing his jersey about 30 minutes after Thursday's game ended until a team equipment manager jokingly offered him a hug.

Jefferson wasn't too proud to accept it, though, after another hard-luck loss.

San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili scored 44 points, including the winning jumper with 6.2 seconds remaining, to deliver a 100-99 victory at Target Center. The Wolves fell to 2-6 this season in games decided by three points or fewer.

If there's any consolation for Jefferson and his teammates, it's that the Wolves are back on track playing compe ive basketball. They followed a blowout win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night with a fight-to-the-end performance against San Antonio.

One of the Wolves' biggest defensive weaknesses this season has been perimeter defense. Ginobili exploited that issue, finishing 13 for 18 from the field with seven three-pointers.

That includes the biggest jumper of the night. Ginobili penetrated against Randy Foye, pulled up and hit a 16-foot jumper as Sebastian Telfair came over to help defensively. That put the Spurs up 100-99 with 6.2 seconds to play.

Big games against the Wolves are nothing new for Ginobili, who scored 31 points, including seven three-pointers, in the Spurs' 106-91 victory Nov. 30 at Target Center.

"He was good tonight, wasn't he?" Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "The last time he was here, he was the difference maker. If you put those two
games together, he's played pretty spectacular."
Despite Ginobili's efforts, the Wolves had a good chance to retake the lead at the end. After a timeout, Foye got the ball and found Telfair open for a three-pointer, but Telfair missed, and Tim Duncan came down with the rebound as time expired.

Telfair said the Wolves wanted to get the ball to Jefferson in the post on their last possession, but they anticipated he would be double-teamed.

"I was wide open," Telfair said. "I took the shot, and it just went in and out."

The Wolves had the momentum after Jefferson's three-point play with 39.3 seconds left, giving the Wolves a 99-98 lead. Jefferson drove baseline, was fouled by Duncan and made a layup.

After Ginobili lost the ball out of bounds with 29.7 seconds left, the Wolves had a chance to add to their lead, but Foye threw up a wild hook shot that missed with about 11 seconds left.

Duncan rebounded the miss, and the Spurs called a timeout, setting up Ginobili's winner.

Briefly: Wolves center Theo Ratliff scored eight points and had two rebounds in 14 minutes in his first game back since Nov. 16 after undergoing right knee surgery.

Rick Alonzo can be reached at [email protected].

[TheTruth]

So good is Ginobili that Wittman uttered these words afterward when asked if he wanted his players to double-team Duncan in a certain situation: "No, no," he said. "Never leave Ginobili."

Gotta love that.

[Solid D]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/15860742.html

Wolves game recap
Last update: February 21, 2008 - 11:28 PM

GAME RECAP
MVP
Manu Ginobili
Well, duh: 44 points, 26 of them (6-for-7 on threes) in the first half. Game-winning shot with 6.2 seconds left. And he swept out the arena afterward, too.

NUMBERS
73.9 Manu Ginobili's three-point shooting percentage (17-for-23) in three games against the Wolves this season.

14 Theo Ratliff's minutes played in his first action after missing 45 games because of an injured knee.

JERRY ZGODA

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Gotta love that.

+ 1

[batboy]

Trying to think of what that would be in Spanish but you have to make the construction explicit that he can't be guarded _against_. Trying to directly translate it into something like inguardable(?) would seem to mean that he can't be guarded from something else.

[Solid D]

Trying to think of what that would be in Spanish but you have to make the construction explicit that he can't be guarded _against_. Trying to directly translate it into something like inguardable(?) would seem to mean that he can't be guarded from something else.

Manu Ginóbili es indefendible

[Deimosfobos]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/15860742.html

Wolves game recap
Last update: February 21, 2008 - 11:28 PM

GAME RECAP
MVP
Manu Ginobili
Well, duh: 44 points, 26 of them (6-for-7 on threes) in the first half. Game-winning shot with 6.2 seconds left. And he swept out the arena afterward, too.

[xamila rey]

Manu Ginóbili es indefendible

great spanish solid D...

[m33p0]

Ginobili has averaged 32.2 points and shot 73.9 percent (17-for-23) from three-point range in three victories over the Wolves this season

Holy Mother of gawd!

[Deimosfobos]

Holy Mother of gawd!

Amen

[remingtonbo2001]

Can we get replace the Laker trolls with some T-Wolves trolls. At least they're capable of providing an intellegent dialoge.

[dallaskd]

Ginobili>Jordan

[FilSpursFan]

nothing's new about THE MANU

[dallaskd]

I was never able to recover the thread but I know for a fact Kori Ellis once said Duncan couldnt be mentioned in the same breath as Dirk and she went on and on in a long post. I wish I could find it...

Off topic, kinda....sorry.