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You tell me when and how. Any link? The game was never stopped to treat him nor was he seen hobbling or anythink like that.
The problem with Ginobili was tiredness, nothing else. He played basically the same game against the Hornets (game 7) as against the Lakers (game 3)a wide open jumpshooter with thew occasional (unsuccesful mainly) drive to the basket. The amount of free throws he had against the Hornets were not due to him driving like mad but because of the Hornets fouling him in the final minutes to stop the clock.
Ginobili had fewer shots against the Lakers because the Lakers defended much better the three than the Hornets and Ginobili like most international players if the shots are not going in they stop taking them.
For such a Laker fan with so adamant an opinion, the least you could do is use Google and backread articles during the series (something that I expected you would have been so eager reading while the series was going on, especially about the competition, but I guess not). For your benefit:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-spurs23-2008may23,0,3980557.story?track=rss
Ginobili says he's still hurting. And he's still refusing to make excuses for his Game 1 performance.
He tweaked a jammed left ankle in the first quarter on Wednesday and struggled throughout before ending with 10 points.
"You always want to play," Ginobili said. "In such a big game, even if you are not doing good, you think you are going to change things. I still felt like I could help the team and do things, but I didn't play good. That's the bottom line."
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-heisler24-2008may24,0,4778499.column?track=rss
Ginobili, once named El Contusion by teammate Brent Barry for the punishment he routinely takes barreling to the basket, has an ankle so sore, the Spurs might have shut him down for Game 2 if they had won Game 1.
As it was, Coach Gregg Popovich spent much of Friday night wondering when to lift the struggling Ginobili.
"You know, we wanted to take Manu out earlier," Popovich said, "and then he made a mistake and made two good moves in a row [in the third quarter] and then I got all excited again.
I think I've already made my point pretty clear. Lakers D is ok but not great as you're arguing. Believe what you want to believe. Dismiss the injury and give all credit to an unbelievably great Lakers defense that the national media who are all over the Lakers have failed to mention--they've devoted tons of articles praising Kobe and the Lakers offense yet no mention of this great Lakers D that limited Ginobili to 35%.
As I said having watched Ginobili 7th game vs the Hornets and his third game vs the Lakers I didn't see any significant difference in the way he played. Did you watch those games or just looked at the box score?. If he was seriously injured against the Lakers so was he against the Hornets. He barely drove to the basket against the Hornets in that game, and with poor success too. His 11 free throws are completely misleading as he was fouled 3 times in the close up of the game and he also took a technical free throw for ilegal defense.
Shooting more or less can be due to a multitude of factors.
For instance, against the Suns Ginobili took 11, 8 and 11 shots in the last 3 games of the series, a similar amount to that against the Lakers. In the previous two games he had taken far more shots. Did he get injured in the middle of that series too or did the Suns change their defensive approach against him?
What about Tim Duncan who shot far more against the Lakers than against the Hornets? Was he injured against the Hornets?. You may say, well, he was defended by Gasol who is clearly a worse defender than Chandler. And I can say Duncan was doubled up far less by the Lakers than by the Hornets so he took shots that against the Hornets were taken by the perimeter players.
If Ginobili seriously injured himself how do you explain game three against the Lakers when he scored more points per minutes played than in any other game in the playoffs?
Anyway, we will see how good or bad the Lakers defense is very soon.
Forgot to add one thing. Ginobili was defended by Stojakovic in the Hornets series for most of the minutes. He must be one of the poorest defenders out there in the playoffs. Curiously his numbers were better against him.
Your reasoning's so convoluted took me a while to dissect it. You're saying:
1) Manu was not injured. Period. First you question whether he was even injured at all or not. When I presented you with quotes from Manu and Pop from the LA Times, now you question the severity of it? Very convenient.
2) Because Manu played similar games--taking many 3-pointers and barely driving to the basket--in Game 3 Lakers and Game 7 Hornets--it means he's not hurt. I will not be surprised if the next thing you say is because he walks the same way as he's been walking down the court, he must not be truly hurt. Here's a thought: He does not have to be in the same physical condition to take many 3-pointers and not drive to the basket. He can be hurt and still do that. He can be healthy and do that.
The fact does not change: Ginobili re-injured his ankle at the start of Lakers series. I presented you with the relevant news articles. Yet you continue to disregard that fact and choose to throw the same hilarious argument. You could have just said--"Ok. He's hurt. But it was more the Laker defense that affected Ginobili." I would have not agreed but I'd respect that if that's what you truly believe. But now I'm thinking you're just a Laker troll and feel silly with this back-and-forth. Good luck finding people to respond to your posts again in this board.
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