Spurs’ Manu Ginobili’s slower but still hard to stop
MIAMI — Stretching his legs, Manu Ginobili grimaced a little.
He did a quick drill and cringed a little more during Saturday’s practice at AmericanAirlines Arena. At 35, it isn’t getting any easier for this member of the Spurs’ Big Three.
Production is down for the 11-year veteran entering Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
“I’m happy with the way I move that ball,” Ginobili said after arriving late to the arena Saturday. “I made a few mistakes defensively, but we all learned from that.”
After missing nine games late in the regular season with a hamstring injury, the Argentine guard is still working back into form on the offensive end too. His shooting percentage is down, as is his scoring average.
Ginobili’s regular-season average of 11.8 was his lowest since scoring 7.6 a game as a rookie in 2002-03. The numbers are considerably off his career highs from 2007-08 — a year after the Spurs’ last title — when the 6-foot-6 shooting guard scored 19.5 a game and was named NBA sixth man of the year.
Move ahead five seasons and his three-point shooting percentage was 35.3%. That’s a full six points below where it was a year ago when he missed two months because of a broken hand. Those numbers have dipped again in the playoffs; Ginobili is scoring 11.6 a game and shooting 32.9% from the perimeter.
Expectations haven’t slipped, though.
“His role hasn’t changed at all,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s Manu Ginobili. He’s a great competitor, great player, and he just plays his game. His role hasn’t changed a bit. He’s always been very important in us winning basketball games.”
He came off the bench to play 29-plus minutes in Thursday’s 92-88 Game 1 win for the Spurs. His 13 points included two-for-five shooting from three-point range. Confidence is high.
Popovich backs James
How do you get Popovich to support the best player on the opposing team during the NBA Finals? Pit him against the media. That’s easy.
Asked about LeBron James’ response to reporters who questioned his approach, Popovich stood with the Miami Heat star.
“All the chirp, chirp, chirping about what he should have done, I thought it was hilarious from the beginning,” Popovich said. “Frankly, I was very happy for him as the year progressed when it became obvious he was comfortable in his own skin and didn’t need to listen to any of you all.”
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