5. Manu goes for a career-high 48 points
Before their run to the 2005 NBA title, Manu Ginobili used the regular season as a stepping stone. His emergence as a star for the San Antonio Spurs didn’t happen overnight. After earning All-Rookie honors for his play during the 2002-03 season, he picked up where he left off as the Spurs earned their second championship in the end.
In a career game, Ginobili scored a career-high 48 points against the Phoenix Suns in a tough 128-123 overtime victory. His efficiency was on full display despite needing an extra frame as he shot 16-of-22 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Ginobili holds the No. 1 spot in franchise history in 3-point field goals with 1,495. He finished his career shooting 36.9 percent from behind the arc while his other bread and butter was the free throw line. He went 11-of-12 from the charity stripe in the victory over the Suns. Ginobili will also go down as San Antonio’s fourth-leading shooter (3,380) from the free throw line.