Column by Buck Harvey
ORLANDO, Fla. — Manu Ginobili finished high school and never took another class. “I pretty much knew,” he said, “I would do this.”“This” has made him a lot of money and has been rewarding. “This” was in play again Wednesday, when Ginobili tossed in six 3-pointers in the rout of Orlando.But he’s also changed over the years from being an Argentine kid who cared only about basketball to someone who Gregg Popovich calls “a self-taught, very interested citizen of the world.” The older he gets, the more Ginobili wants to know, and this trip fits into that.He’s bettering himself on the road, when he isn’t bettering the Spurs.The Spurs’ trip continues to add to a remarkable, historic run. The Spurs have won 29 of their last 33 road games, and that’s the best 33-game road stretch ever in the NBA.Second-best is telling, too. Those were Michael Jordan’s Bulls in
1996-97.
The Spurs will be pressed to keep this up, since they end this trip tonight
with another back-to-back against a Heat team that is rested. Given the setting,
and that Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson aren’t available for LeBron James,
and that Memphis will be in San Antonio, wouldn’t it be just like Popovich to
rest Tim Duncan or more of his starters tonight?
But, for Ginobili, the trip has been a success no matter. He’s overcome a
tight lower back that slowed him early in the season, with flashes of what he
has been. When Ginobili wasn’t sparking the comeback in Indiana with
back-to-back 3-point plays, he was dribbling between Kyle Lowry’s legs in
Toronto to finish with a circus layup.Wednesday was another step. “I wasn’t coming off any good performances
shooting-wise,” he said. “Today, they went in.”Four 3-pointers in the first quarter qualified. “I just have to keep
working,” Ginobili said, “and hopefully the bad streak has turned.”
This is how he has treated his career; work comes first. But on the road,
when there’s a full day between games, Ginobili goes in search of something new,
usually by himself.
On this trip, Ginobili toured Harvard and posted a 360-degree picture on his
Twitter account. In Toronto, he spent hours in the Royal Ontario Museum. And, in
Washington D.C., he visited the Holocaust Museum.
The latter excursion fits in with the book he’s currently reading: “Man’s
Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl’s personal account as a concentration camp
inmate.“Manu wants to know why we do this, why we do that,” Popovich said.
“Everything in the world. Politics, history, economics. He’s special that way.
There’s nobody else on the team that’s as interested in the world as he is.”
Sometimes it shows in locker-room conversations. A few years ago, a player
who is no longer a Spur was talking about the glorious effects of Power Balance
bracelets, the same ones Mark Cuban recently called a scam.
Ginobili had a question for his teammate then: “Have you ever heard the word
‘placebo?’”The teammate, with English as his first language, had not.
Spurs staff has similar stories. Sometimes, Ginobili comes at them with
questions about NBA marketing or sales. Sometimes he knows more than they do
about their own area of expertise.
Ginobili says he wasn’t always this way. When he started professionally as a
teenager, he just wanted to play. “I wasn’t curious at all,” he said.
He says the change came when he went to play in Italy. Then, he said, “I
realized I had no clue about my country, my history.”
So he began to read, and along the way, he discovered a world that went far
deeper than a dribble drive. It didn’t change his team, just him.
And the way he sees the road.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Manu Ginobili finished high school and never took another class. “I pretty much knew,” he said, “I would do this.”“This” has made him a lot of money and has been rewarding. “This” was in play again Wednesday, when Ginobili tossed in six 3-pointers in the rout of Orlando.But he’s also changed over the years from being an Argentine kid who cared only about basketball to someone who Gregg Popovich calls “a self-taught, very interested citizen of the world.” The older he gets, the more Ginobili wants to know, and this trip fits into that.He’s bettering himself on the road, when he isn’t bettering the Spurs.The Spurs’ trip continues to add to a remarkable, historic run. The Spurs have won 29 of their last 33 road games, and that’s the best 33-game road stretch ever in the NBA.Second-best is telling, too. Those were Michael Jordan’s Bulls in
1996-97.
The Spurs will be pressed to keep this up, since they end this trip tonight
with another back-to-back against a Heat team that is rested. Given the setting,
and that Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson aren’t available for LeBron James,
and that Memphis will be in San Antonio, wouldn’t it be just like Popovich to
rest Tim Duncan or more of his starters tonight?
But, for Ginobili, the trip has been a success no matter. He’s overcome a
tight lower back that slowed him early in the season, with flashes of what he
has been. When Ginobili wasn’t sparking the comeback in Indiana with
back-to-back 3-point plays, he was dribbling between Kyle Lowry’s legs in
Toronto to finish with a circus layup.Wednesday was another step. “I wasn’t coming off any good performances
shooting-wise,” he said. “Today, they went in.”Four 3-pointers in the first quarter qualified. “I just have to keep
working,” Ginobili said, “and hopefully the bad streak has turned.”
This is how he has treated his career; work comes first. But on the road,
when there’s a full day between games, Ginobili goes in search of something new,
usually by himself.
On this trip, Ginobili toured Harvard and posted a 360-degree picture on his
Twitter account. In Toronto, he spent hours in the Royal Ontario Museum. And, in
Washington D.C., he visited the Holocaust Museum.
The latter excursion fits in with the book he’s currently reading: “Man’s
Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl’s personal account as a concentration camp
inmate.“Manu wants to know why we do this, why we do that,” Popovich said.
“Everything in the world. Politics, history, economics. He’s special that way.
There’s nobody else on the team that’s as interested in the world as he is.”
Sometimes it shows in locker-room conversations. A few years ago, a player
who is no longer a Spur was talking about the glorious effects of Power Balance
bracelets, the same ones Mark Cuban recently called a scam.
Ginobili had a question for his teammate then: “Have you ever heard the word
‘placebo?’”The teammate, with English as his first language, had not.
Spurs staff has similar stories. Sometimes, Ginobili comes at them with
questions about NBA marketing or sales. Sometimes he knows more than they do
about their own area of expertise.
Ginobili says he wasn’t always this way. When he started professionally as a
teenager, he just wanted to play. “I wasn’t curious at all,” he said.
He says the change came when he went to play in Italy. Then, he said, “I
realized I had no clue about my country, my history.”
So he began to read, and along the way, he discovered a world that went far
deeper than a dribble drive. It didn’t change his team, just him.
And the way he sees the road.
For several San Antonio Spurs fans, Manu Ginobili is their favorite player. He
whips passes where they normally wouldn't go, leaves decade younger defenders
falling to the floor, steps up and takes over in crucial moments and awes fans
on a game-by-game basis. Oh, and speaking Spanish doesn't hurt either.
While there's no doubt Ginobili is crucial to the team's success and has
sometimes taken over as the Spurs' best player, like he did in the 2005 NBA
Finals, that's quite the compliment. While Bird had big name players around him
like Parish and McHale among others, and Magic had Worthy and Kareem, Bird and
Magic were clearly the cog that made their respective teams run efficiently.
While many could argue that Tony Parker, who took over last season, could
also be given that comparison and Duncan has been one of the Spurs' most
important players for over a decade, I see where Popovich is coming
from.
Ginobili's work ethic on the floor speaks volumes and he's always
been one of the best players on both ends of the floor throughout his career.
And while he may not finish his career with the same milestones or be mentioned
in that company, Ginobili has one thing either of the aforementioned players
don't. The combination of winning three, championships, a gold medal and several
euroleague MVPs.
whips passes where they normally wouldn't go, leaves decade younger defenders
falling to the floor, steps up and takes over in crucial moments and awes fans
on a game-by-game basis. Oh, and speaking Spanish doesn't hurt either.
While there's no doubt Ginobili is crucial to the team's success and has
sometimes taken over as the Spurs' best player, like he did in the 2005 NBA
Finals, that's quite the compliment. While Bird had big name players around him
like Parish and McHale among others, and Magic had Worthy and Kareem, Bird and
Magic were clearly the cog that made their respective teams run efficiently.
While many could argue that Tony Parker, who took over last season, could
also be given that comparison and Duncan has been one of the Spurs' most
important players for over a decade, I see where Popovich is coming
from.
Ginobili's work ethic on the floor speaks volumes and he's always
been one of the best players on both ends of the floor throughout his career.
And while he may not finish his career with the same milestones or be mentioned
in that company, Ginobili has one thing either of the aforementioned players
don't. The combination of winning three, championships, a gold medal and several
euroleague MVPs.