Chapter 1211: Chapter 384: Like a Script Written by God
The French may not know if life is unsatisfactory, but the casual French love to have fun, and their biggest fear is life becoming boring.
In Diaw’s view, LeBron James is the league’s greatest amusement.
At this season’s Media Day press conference, when reporters told Roger, Shaq, James, and others that they were unhappy about Roger’s early statue, Boris Diaw made the entire room laugh with just one sentence: "Wait, LeBron?"
Now, at the season’s end, he’s still poking fun at the Chosen One.
In Diaw’s view, there’s no player more entertaining in the world than that boy from Akron.
But Manu Ginobili didn’t find it funny at all: "I can’t believe that bastard is humiliating me like this!"
Once again, it’s proven that saying "you’re like LeBron James" can really be an insult.
But the Spurs weren’t emotionally affected by Diaw’s retort. With the Mavericks and Lakers both having defeated the Warriors, fans in San Antonio believe the Spurs can break Roger’s brutal dominance.
The Spurs are strong this season, maintaining a position in the top three in the West for a long time.
After Gary Payton and Admiral left, the Spurs didn’t make drastic changes to their roster, only signing some shooters last summer.
Their transformation was more internal.
This season, Popovich intentionally reduced Tim Duncan’s playing time and frequency of low-post plays, allowing him to coordinate more.
The freed-up shooting opportunities were assigned to Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
The Argentine, given more opportunities, did not disappoint Popovich, delivering an excellent performance this season.
Since January, Ginobili has twice scored over 40 points in three consecutive games, giving the Spurs extremely potent perimeter firepower.
Thanks to his outstanding performance, Ginobili even overshadowed Tony Parker, who had been recognized earlier, to enter the All-Star.
Bruce Bowen commented on the magical Manu: "Just one pick and roll, and he transforms into mercury, slipping through the crowd, carrying poison. Sometimes there seems to be no chance, but he manages to flow in and score."
The changes Ginobili brought to the Spurs go beyond that. With Duncan taking fewer shots and focusing more on coordination, and the creative Ginobili now in the starting lineup, the Spurs have had more active ball movement, making their offense smoother.
Of course, the Argentine also often caused Popovich’s blood pressure to soar with some of his daring choices on the court.
Initially, Popovich snorted at this, wanting Manu Ginobili to play straightforward, disciplined basketball.
However, his assistant coach Mike Budenholzer told Popovich: "Yes, sometimes even we don’t know what Manu will do. But that’s also the opposing coach’s nightmare; Manu’s unpredictability means their plans become useless."
Thus, Manu Ginobili became the only privileged player in the disciplined Spurs team.
Popovich allowed him the occasional freedom in his play, adding a fancy lively color to the otherwise stifling Black Silver Army.
Unfortunately, Manu Ginobili performed terribly in the three games against the Warriors.
In three matches, only in one did Ginobili have a shooting percentage over 40%. Since becoming a starter, he has never helped the Spurs defeat the Warriors.
In their final regular-season matchup against the Warriors, Manu Ginobili certainly hoped to redeem himself.
Beating the Warriors would largely determine whether the Spurs would be competitive if they met in the playoffs.
At the game, Manu Ginobili was warming up seriously.
He didn’t want to look like a useless player contributing nothing to victory in four consecutive games against the Warriors.
In the first half, the Spurs played exceptionally well.
Ginobili was the key, continuously penetrating the Warriors’ defense with various unbelievable moves, scoring 15 points by halftime.
Steve Kerr joked: "Have you ever been to a gym full of young girls in yoga pants? Some of their complex yoga moves will blow your mind. And Manu’s many moves and layups in the first half were ten times more difficult!"
After the half, while high-fiving Parker and Duncan, the Argentine deliberately shouted: "Vince beat him, Kobe beat him, why can’t we?"
In the third quarter, Ginobili maintained his touch, sinking two three-pointers.
But everything went downhill sharply in the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Ginobili was riddled with mistakes and missed shots; his drives were no longer as sharp, forcing him to take a series of contested stop-and-pop jumpers.
Unlike the previously magically shooting Vince Carter, most of Ginobili’s stop-and-pop jumpers just ricocheted off the rim.
Spurs fans were still hoping the Argentine would continue his magical performance, but Gregg Popovich knew it was impossible.
He realized that Manu Ginobili might not be suited for a starting role at all.
His stamina always faltered at critical moments.
His presence made Tony Parker seem somewhat redundant because current Tony Parker had no off-ball ability.
Moreover, Ginobili was plagued with minor injuries throughout the season, and his durability made it difficult for him to handle the intensity of the starting role.