Argentinian Manu Ginobili helped San Antonio Spurs to defeat Golden State Warriors on Monday night, surprising even Spurs’ coach.
His shots and intense defensive efforts in the fourth quarter turned what appeared to be a sure lost into a 129-127 win in double-overtime.
Spurs’ win resulted in Warriors’ 30th straight defeat in San Antonio dating to Feb. 14, 1997, according to Fox News.
“I went from wanting to trading him on the spot to wanting to cook breakfast for him tomorrow morning,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “That’s the truth. When I talk to him and say, ‘Manu,’ he goes, ‘This is what I do.’ That’s what he’s going to tell me. I stopped coaching him a long time ago.”
Ginobili missed a 3-pointer that appeared to cost the Spurs the game, but 43.7 seconds later he shot another 3-pointer, which signaled the improbable comeback.
“I took a really bad shot,” Ginobili told Fox News, speaking of his missed 3-pointer. “I was on the top of the key. I had no chance whatsoever to make it to the basket. I couldn’t penetrate; I was very tired.”
Although the Argentinian player was told to just screen and stay far from the play, Ginobili was left open by the defense in the weak side.
“When I caught it I just saw Brazemore flying. I just gave it a lot of air and it went in,” he said. “The play was for Tony or Boris. And they got confused.”
