Like two prize fighters who just went toe-to-toe for four brutal rounds, Manu Ginobili and Steve Nash shook hands at midcourt and congratulated each other.
Ginobili and his broken nose then left the court and headed for the offseason because his San Antonio Spurs were knocked out of the 2010 playoffs by the Phoenix Suns, led by Nash and his one good eye.
Nash had six stitches above the right eye after getting caught with an inadvertent Tim Duncan elbow in the second half, but the Suns’ leader returned to the court and scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, including a running one-hander in the paint to put the Suns ahead, 103-97, with 29.9 seconds left.
“I couldn’t be happier for a class, class, class guy. I hate him, but he’s classy,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Nash, who admitted he could barely see with his bandaged right eye.
Manu Ginobili congratulates Steve Nash after the Suns knocked off the Spurs in four games. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)
“I can’t really see out of it,” Nash said. “I don’t want to glorify it, but it’s been a long time since we beat this team and advanced in the playoffs, and I tried to do what I could to close it out.”
The Spurs have tormented the Suns in their past five playoff appearances, eliminating Phoenix four times. But the Suns made sure this year was different, beating San Antonio at its own game with solid defense and an efficient halfcourt offense that is normally a staple of the Spurs.
“They just hit a lot of big shots,” said Ginobili, who had 15 points but was just 2-for-11 from the field thanks to excellent defense from Grant Hill. Ginobili said the nose injury didn’t bother him in the series, but it was obvious his aggressive and his forays to the basket decreased since he got hit by Dirk Nowitzki in the first round.
“I just think where Steve [Nash] has taken us and what he’s been able to get done, it started in training camp. He was just determined that ‘we’re gonna get back to where we were and I’m gonna see that.’ ”
Like a one-eye jack in those classic pirate movies, Nash spearheaded a poised Phoenix team down the stretch. And he didn’t need to see Amare Stoudemire on those pick-and-rolls because the two All-Stars know each other so well they could probably run their pick-and-roll sets with their eyes closed. In Nash’s case, he really had to do it with his eyes closed because his right eye was so swollen he needed a cutman on the bench.
“I can’t really see out of it,” Nash said. “I don’t know how it didn’t keep me on the sidelines. I wanted to give it a try, and luckily it worked out.”
“They just outplayed us,” said a dejected Tim Duncan, who got outscored by Stoudemire, 29-17, in Game 4.
The Suns’ four-game sweep clearly signaled that the Spurs’ three-time championship trio of Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker can no longer carry the load. Duncan is 34 years old and has a ton of mileage on his legs. Ginobili, 33, recently signed an extension that should keep him a Spur for the rest of his NBA career, but he has been injury prone and the same goes for Parker.
The Richard Jefferson experiment didn’t work out for San Antonio, so Popovich must find another scorer (or two) to help his big three.
For better or for worse, the legend of Manu Ginobili grew exponentially on Oct. 31, 2009 – Halloween Night.
During the first half of the Spurs-Kings game at AT&T Center in San Antonio, a bat flew in the arena and began to disrupt the game. Without batting an eye (no pun intended), Ginobili slapped the flying mammal with his left hand and knocked it down to the floor. He then picked it up and handed it to an arena staff member.
Videos of Ginobili’s amazing display of quick hands and fearlessness became an Internet sensation, but not everyone was impressed.
PETA criticized Ginobili’s random act of violence and said this on Opposing Views: “To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one—with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn.”
PETA added: “Bats always try to avoid contact with humans, and there are plenty of easy ways to keep bats out of a basketball arena (or your home). We hope that the next time someone’s life is on the line, Manu Ginobili will take just a few seconds to think before he acts.”
Perhaps bracing for the inevitable PETA protest, Ginobili swears he didn’t mean to kill the bat, and doesn’t think he did. He said afterward the bat was still moving when he scooped it up.
Reports conflict as to the ultimate fate of the bat. Saturday night, multiple arena sources confirmed the animal’s demise. Sunday afternoon, team officials reported the bat had actually recovered and flown away.
Whatever its fate, Ginobili’s teammates left the AT&T Center on Saturday shaking their heads once more at what Ginobili had done.
“Unbelievable,” Tony Parker said. “The thing is, he hit it. He’s good at interceptions and stuff. But then he grabs it and puts it in the garbage.”
Parker shook his head. “He always does crazy stuff.”
Manu Ginobili sanitizes his hands after his close encounter with a bat.
According to Jeff McDonald of the Express-News, it wasn’t the first time some Spurs players had seen a bat behaving badly during a basketball game. Roger Mason Jr. recalls a bat interrupting a pickup game in Las Vegas this summer.
“You had these big, tough guys, like Chauncey Billups and Rudy Gay, running for cover,” Mason said. “And then there’s Manu, swatting it like it was a fly.”
Michael Jordan's greatness was on display against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)
Larry Bird, Hall-of-Famer and three-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, once said that a true basketball “assassin” is someone who is not afraid to shoot when the game is on the line. Bird explained that it is easy to shoot a potential game-winning shot when the game is tied, and the worst thing that could happen is overtime. But, it takes a truly special individual to be able to knock down shots when your team is behind and the final shot will determine the outcome of a game.
Very few players in the world have that sniper’s mentality. Jerry West had it and so did Reggie Miller. Magic Johnson was not a sniper like Bird, Miller or West but the Magic Man always found a way to make that all important basket.
Steve Kerr and John Paxson are not Hall-of-Famers, but their shooting prowess are legendary. Both have had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of ending an NBA Finals series with one shot. Chuck Person called himself “The Riffleman,” not for carrying a concealed weapon but for being able to shoot down the enemy from long range. Isiah Thomas looked like a choir boy, but everybody sang the same sad tune when the leader of the Motor City Bad Boys delivered one of his clutch moments.
But the top gun in the history of the Association is and always will be Michael Jordan. If you poll the entire league on who should take the last shot to win a game, Jordan would be on top of that list. Jordan did in college. He did it numerous times during the NBA’s regular season. And he has delivered the fatal blow in the NBA’s biggest stage – the playoffs. His legend grew with each game-winner. The shot over Craig Ehlo in 1989 runs on a loop in the NBA video archives. The Jazz were on the receiving end of two devastating Jordan moments. He secured a Game 1 Bulls victory over the Jazz with a pull-up jumper over Bryon Russell in 1997. Then, in probably the greatest series-clinching shot in NBA Finals history, he drove right, gave Russell a love tap, rose up and buried a cold-blooded shot down the throat of 18,000 screaming Jazz fans in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Now that’s a true NBA assassin.
Joel Huerto, editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net, examines the best current crop of NBA assassins who are not afraid to pull the trigger when the game is on the line – especially in the playoffs. Here are the 10 best clutch shooters in the NBA:
10) HEDO TURKOGLU (aka “The Michael Jordan of Turkey”) – You think the Orlando Magic missed Turkoglu? The man who essentially replaced him in the starting lineup, Vince Carter, shot 36% in the 2010 Western Conference finals against the Boston Celtics and averaged just 13 points a game. Last season, Turkoglu was the catalyst of an Orlando team that upset the Celtics at TD Garden in Game 7. Turkoglu is 6-foot-10 point-forward who can create his own shot and make big shots in the fourth quarter.
9) JAMES POSEY (aka “The X Factor”) – TNT’s Kenny Smith calls him the “New Robert Horry,” which is probably the highest compliment you can give an NBA role player who has two championship rings. It takes a special player to come off the bench and deliver in the clutch. Posey is the ultimate “hired gun,” someone who knocks down the competition from anywhere on the court and for anyone who is willing to pay for his services. As a member of the 2006 Heat bench, the former Xavier Muskateer buried several critical 3-pointers during the Heat’s championship run, including the dagger into the hearts of the Dallas Mavericks during the waning moments of Game 6. Posey did it again in 2008, this time for the Celtics. He was the catalyst in the Celtics’ come-from-behind victory in Game 4 at Staples Center and his championship experience rubbed off on Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
James Posey, right, shot down Lamar Odom and the L.A. Lakers during the 2008 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)
8) STEVE NASH (aka “The Canadian Hero”) – Nash may have lost a step in the open court but his shooting eye has not deserted him yet. In fact, Nash is shooting better than ever, even better than his MVP days. Nash is at his best in transition when he can pull up for a 3-point shot or find open teammates on the wings. The only thing missing on Nash’s resume is a trip to the NBA Finals.
7) MANU GINOBILI (aka “Euro”) – He proudly wears and carries the flag of Argentina but … he looks like a Euro, plays like a Euro and smells like a Euro. Therefore, he’s all Euro! They even invented a name for his favorite basketball move: The Euro Step. It’s the one where he runs straight at his defender and then changes direction with one cross-over step to avoid a charging call. The Euro Step is the hottest move in the Euroleague. All the kids a doing it. Manu is the only Euro who is not afraid to be a hero. Most international players (i.e. Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol) tend to soften up in the playoffs, but not Ginobili. Tim Duncan may be the heart and soul of the San Antonio Spurs, but Ginobili is the oxygen that pumps air into the Spurs’ championship hopes.
6) CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (aka “Mr. Big Shot) – He earned the moniker “Mr. Big Shot” with his big-game heroics when he was a Detroit Piston. The Pistons went to the Eastern Conference finals six consecutive times because of Mr. Big Shot. Since Detroit shipped him over to Denver, the Pistons have become a lottery team while the Nuggets have become a power in the West.
5) DWYANE WADE (aka “The Flash”) – Former Miami Heat teammate Shaquille O’Neal gave him the nickname because of his uncanny ability to get to point A to point B in a flash. He nearly became a flash in the pan with an injury plagued 2007. But after going back to the lab with renowned trainer Tim Grover, D-Wade got back to elite status in a hurry. His coming out party came during the 2004 playoffs when Wade (then a rookie) dropped a floater in the paint over Baron Davis at the buzzer.
4) RAY ALLEN (aka “Jesus Shuttlesworth”) – Whether it is on the hardwood or Hollywood, Ray-Ray is a prime-time player. He set an NBA Finals record with eight 3-pointers in Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Lakers. His performance in “He Got Game” may not have earned him an Oscar, but how many NBA superstars can hang with Denzel Washington? In Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Lakers, Allen sized up Sasha Vujacic, got to the rim and scored on a left-handed layup over Pau Gasol to ice the game and the series for the Celtics. ABC commentator Mark Jackson said this on the air: “Ray Allen says I want to play one-one-one with Vujacic…and it’s time to dance! This is for all the marbles.”
3) DEREK FISHER (aka “D-Fish”) – Fisher is one of the physically and mentally toughest players in the league. Lakers coach Phil Jackson says he never worries about Fisher because he trusts that he will always make the correct play. Fisher’s career is defined by three moments: 1) his game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2004 playoffs; 2) his inspirational return to a playoff game in Utah the same day his daughter had emergency eye surgery in New York; 3) and his two clutch 3-point shots in Game 4 against the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
2) PAUL PIERCE (aka “The Truth) – When the game is on the line and the Celtics need a big shot, they turn to The Truth for answers. Time and time again, Pierce has delivered for Boston and has earned the reputation for being a big-game player. He is a fearless competitor who has the entire repertoire of shots. He can stick the 3-pointer, create his own shot, get to the free throw line and has one of the best mid-range games. The 2008 NBA Finals MVP also saves his best for last, as in the fourth quarter. His performance in Game 7 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the ‘08 Eastern Conference semifinals and his game-winning shot in Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls in the ‘09 Eastern Conference semifinals are prime examples of his ability to rise to the occasion.
1) KOBE BRYANT (aka “The Black Mamba”) – A black mamba can strike in rapid succession. That’s Kobe Bryant. He can kill you off the dribble with either hand, he can post you up, he can posterize you, he can drop a floater in the paint, he can cross you over, he can pull up for a mid-range jumper (something 90% of the league can’t do) and he can step back and stick a 3-point dagger into your heart. Basically, if you are a defender, all you can do is pray he misses, which does not happen very often. Suns coach Alvin Gentry calls Kobe “the best player in basketball,” and it’s not even close.
Kobe Bryant is the most feared player in the NBA when it comes to late-game heroics.
A Sports Illustrated poll was taken in 2008 to rank the most feared players in the league. Kobe was rated No. 1. Michael Jordan always told his Bulls teammates that if they can keep the game close for three quarters he can win it in the fourth. Kobe operates the same way. If the Lakers can negotiate a game for three quarters, Kobe will most likely close the deal in the fourth. He did it six times during the 2009-10 regular season, and three of them were at the buzzer. LeBron may be the two-time reigning MVP, but Kobe has four championship rings and working on No. 5.
