Spurs go as far as Ginobili can
LOS ANGELES – Most of the San Antonio Spurs already had cleared out of the locker room by the time Manu Ginobili finally lifted himself off the training table late Wednesday. He had a long red scratch on his left shoulder, another on his waist, and one of the fingernails from his trusted shooting hand was missing, battle scars all. Each step toward the shower seemed to bring only more pain.
Brent Barry nicknamed Ginobili El Contusión because of nights like this, and that's what has to concern the Spurs most about Wednesday. They're strong enough to stomach wasting a 20-point lead in 18 minutes, but they won't catch these Los Angeles Lakers if Ginobili's body won't let them.
Ginobili only would say he had "a couple of issues." Among those issues: 10 missed shots and four turnovers. But Issue No. 1? Ginobili gave that away an hour before tip-off as he tried to stand on a rubber ball.
"What's that for?" asked a foreign reporter.
"This is what you do," Ginobili said, "when you have problems with your ankle."
Ginobili jammed his left ankle in the opening game of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, and he hasn't been the same since. Compensating for the injury also stressed his groin, but the sore ankle is what has lingered the most. Ginobili still has played brilliantly at times in these playoffs, scoring 29 and 31 points in separate games against the Suns and New Orleans Hornets. But each of those performances was preceded by two days of rest. Given only one day off between games, he's averaging 14.4 points while shooting worse than 38 percent.
The problem for the Spurs: Every game in these West finals is separated by just one off day.
One Spurs official already was worried before the team even bused out of the arena in New Orleans. Ginobili, he said, had nothing left in the tank. He had given everything in the final two games against the Hornets just to push the Spurs into the conference finals.
What the official didn't know at the time was that Ginobili and the rest of the Spurs were about to lose one of the two nights of sleep they had coming to them. Gregg Popovich wouldn't blame Champion Airlines for Wednesday's series-opening collapse, though he could. Spending the night on a tarmac makes for a good story, but little else. The Spurs coach paced the plane's aisle telling his players this was just "one more challenge," but this was a challenge they didn't need – and for reasons more than comfort.
"We learned," Barry said, "that Matt Bonner likes to sleep in the nude."
Bonner in the buff is good for a nightmare or two, and the Spurs probably had another sleepless night after Wednesday's meltdown. A victory would have shouldered the Lakers with pressure they haven't had to face in these playoffs.
"Hurts like hell," Popovich said of the loss.
Popovich wisely didn't fault the short turnaround between series. The Spurs know the drill. You want a break? Then get your work done early.
Still, Lakers coach Phil Jackson cited fatigue as a likely reason the Spurs made only three shots in the fourth quarter and just one in the final 7½ minutes. San Antonio didn't win four championships by setting franchise records for air-balled three-pointers.
Fatigue comes in different forms, and there's no denying the Lakers wore on the Spurs with their aggressiveness. The game changed when Jackson left Kobe Bryant on the floor with the Lakers' two young reserves, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar.
Vujacic particularly troubled Ginobili. He's longer than he looks, and his Laker Girl hairband only masks his toughness. Spurs officials admitted their players were bothered by his energy. Jackson said his Slovenian guard had one of his best defensive games.
Ginobili certainly didn't see defense like this against New Orleans. The Hornets played off him throughout the series, conceding the three-point line. That was a mistake for two reasons: Ginobili can shoot; and he hasn't had his usual burst throughout the playoffs. Finishing at the rim has been difficult for him.
When Ginobili went to the bench for the first time Wednesday, he repeatedly tried to stretch his foot. He admitted afterward his ankle had bothered him, but didn't want to discuss the injury. "Nothing that bad," he said, "that can justify the way I played."
Ginobili wasn't alone in his struggles. Tony Parker made only one of his seven shots in the second half. Michael Finley missed all five of his, and Tim Duncan had four of the Spurs' 10 turnovers in the final two quarters. The Spurs also didn't give away this game as much as Bryant, in his typical greatness, took it from them.
"I really believe if you're up 20, even if you're tired, you just have to be smart," Ginobili said. "We always talk about how experienced we are. We didn't show it."
No Spur burns more after losses. When his late foul on Dirk Nowitzki helped lead to the Spurs' season-ending Game 7 loss to Dallas two years ago, Ginobili fell into a deep enough funk that his teammates worried for days about him. That competitiveness has helped carry the Spurs through their championship era. They've leaned on Ginobili in their biggest moments, and they did so again Wednesday.
Trailing by two in the closing seconds, the ball swung to Ginobili in the corner. He set his feet, lined up the shot and fired. As soon as the ball left his hand, Ginobili knew he had missed.
"I didn't take a good shot," he said. "Another thing that helps get me upset."
Frustrated and tired, Ginobili limped out of the locker room. He'll have Thursday to rest. Popovich won't put the Spurs through practice. He'll gather them in a hotel ballroom, show some film and tell his guys they played well for 30 minutes and that they need to play better for 18 more.
Popovich also will hope for something else. Somehow, the Spurs need El Contusión to ride again.
