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San Antonio Spurs: Top 10 moments of Manu Ginobili’s career

By Jerran Anderson

SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 18: The jersey of Manu Ginobili #20 of the San Antonio Spurs is seen during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 18, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 18: The jersey of Manu Ginobili #20 of the San Antonio Spurs is seen during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 18, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images /

8. Manu lifts the Spurs in the 2005 NBA Finals

The San Antonio Spurs won an NBA title during Ginobili’s rookie season (2002-03), but nothing beats the performance he put on during the 2005 NBA Playoffs. He put up 20.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals as the Spurs went all the way to the NBA Finals. They defeated the Detroit Pistons, 4-3, in the Finals, with Manu one vote shy of Finals MVP honors.

In the series’ decisive Game 7, Manu nearly outdid Finals MVP Tim Duncan, putting up 23 points, five rebounds and four assists on 8-of-13 shooting. While Duncan struggled shooting the basketball (10-of-27), Manu did not. He turned in an offensive rating of 99.9 and a defensive rating of 96.0 during the contest.

Duncan did more work on the interior, but Ginobili’s contributions didn’t go unnoticed. As time progressed, he emerged as a top priority for the Spurs as the Big 3 was born.

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