Manu Ginobili out for season…and playoffs
The Spurs are going to have a tough time winning their fourth title in seven years without their star wing.
The stiffness Spurs guard Manu Ginobili felt in his right ankle during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers turned out to portend the worst possible news for the star guard and the Spurs: A stress fracture that will cost him the remainder of the season, and the playoffs.
Ginobili had returned to game action March 25 in Atlanta after missing 19 games with a stress reaction in his right distal fibula. Sunday’s game was his sixth since returning to the lineup, and followed three games in which he had totaled 50 points. After scoring 16 in a victory in Indianapolis on Friday, Ginobili had reported that he felt “super.”
When the ankle stiffened Sunday, he sought advice from the team’s athletic training and conditioning staff, and was sent back to San Antonio for a CT scan and MRI. The results of tests conducted Monday morning showed the stress fracture, and the determination that the team’s starting shooting guard would miss the remainder of the season.
Laker fans will be dancing in the street when they hear this news. When healthy, the Spurs posed the biggest threat to L.A.’s title hopes. With Ginobili out and Kevin Garnett hobbled, it’s looking more and more like we’re destined for a Cavs/Lakers Finals.
Ouch! I thought the Spurs would be a sleeper for the Finals this year, but not now. That’s a huge blow…
This is a huge blow for the Spurs season. Already they are having so much of problem and the last they need is something like this.
As a big fan of his game, I’m really devastated to hear such news. It’s going to really sad to see a playoffs for the first time in almost 6 years without a Manu Ginobili.
I’m not sure whether or not the Spurs can post a title challenge depending on both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker alone. But I would most certain love to hear your views on this.
Like pop said they can feel sorry for themselves or they can focus on doing what ever they have to do to win basketball games.
of course all the analysists are going to say they are done. If i know one thing is they don’t know crap they say one thing when someone is doing bad and then completely change their minds when they start playing good.
The spurs are still 4 time champiions of the last decade, and when they didn’t win they came one play away from winning the whoile thing each year. They got experience. they are play off tested and they still got Duncan. Now that Manu is done look for Bowen to come in and hopefully provide the defensive spark we all knew the spurs to play.
If the spurs can play that griddy defense again and Tim comes to life along with bowen defensivly; they got enough knock down shooters to suprise every body and its my opinion that Parker can make the big play in the last few seconds of the game when need be
forget the haters lets just wait and see what transpires
Fabian — I agree with you in principle. Any team can beat any other team on any given night. But it was going to be a tough test for the Spurs to beat the Lakers in a seven game series even with Ginobili, so barring something unforeseen — a Kobe or Gasol injury, Roger Mason playing like an All-Star, etc. — I just don’t see the Spurs getting by the Lakers without Manu.
But you’re right. The Spurs can’t do anything but move forward with the team they have.