Tag Archives: Manu Ginobili

* The Popovich decision to start Manu Ginobili was an interesting one.  Barkley seemed to question it, wondering if subbing out Danny Green was necessary on the Spurs home floor.  The early returns were in Pop’s favor as the Spurs jumped out to a 15-10 lead.  But when James Harden (the “other” 6th Man in this series) came in with 4:33 to go in the 1st (score now 15-12 Spurs) OKC went on a 14-6 run to end the quarter.  A similar roller coaster happened in the 3rd Quarter with Ginobili coming out WHITE HOT, leading the Spurs to a 6-point lead after beginning the half down by 8.  Again, Harden came in pretty much as Ginobili went out and the Thunder roasted the Spurs to finish that quarter, taking a 9-point lead with them into the 4th.  In my opinion, Pop should have stayed with his starting five.  Doubling down on Parker-Ginobili was too risky with Harden coming off the bench for the other side.  James Harden was, not surprisingly, a game-best +24. Continue reading →