Manu Can Do!
If you’ve been watching the Utah Jazz/San Antonio series in the NBA Playoffs then you’ve got to be impressed with the play of Manu Ginobili. The guy is a competitor!
Ginobili is the kind of player that you love if he’s on your team and you hate if he’s on the other.
I’m not an astute basketball man and I don’t watch much NBA basketball until the playoffs roll around because there is not much in the world of athletics that’s going on this time of year. Besides, the NBA boys are finally playing for something now!
I don’t live and die with particular teams anymore but I do enjoy watching the matchups and who is and isn’t going to perform when the chips are down and which teams actually play for each other when things are on the line. Character will be revealed.
In the past I’ve never been a big Ginobili fan. He’s an Argentine player of Italian descent. Nothing against Argentine or Italian players but I’m an American and still cling to the ideology that we play the best basketball in the world which I’m not sure we do anymore.
Manu flops too much and has this pained, abused look on his face doing it. Having grown up as a macho, never let’em see you bleed sports competitor and fan, I don’t care for this tactic unless, of course, he’s on my team. Then it’s acceptable.
He’s masterful at flopping when driving the lane, shooting the trey, or playing defense. He can draw a flopping foul equally well doing all three. His flopping reminds me of a USA World Cup Soccer match where we’re more interested in flopping for a penalty than actually competing in soccer. I’ll bet Manu has refined his flop while playing a game or two of “footy” as a kid. The facial expressions and body languages look strikingly related.
Ginobili played for world champion Argentina in the last world basketball championships (to be honest I can’t remember the last time our NBA basketball all-stars won that event). And one thing I’ve got to admit and respect is that this guy has a complete game. Flop or not Manu Ginobili can kill you with the drive, he can shoot the three, and he can rebound and play defense. Oh, yeah, go ahead and foul him and put him on the line. That’s just easy points for him.
But what impresses me the most is I’ve never seen the guy lose his cool. Derek Fischer spent more time cheap shoting Ginobili and then crying to the officials than trying to put some defense on him. So much so that he got thrown out. With the Delta Center crowd approaching riot status Manu never changed expressions. He drove the lane and got to the free throw line. He made threes and/or got to the free throw line. He played defense and came up with big rebounds down the stretch. He got to loose balls and kept them alive. He kept his composer while Utah self-destructed.
And that is the sign of a true competitor with maturity! And that’s why I watch athletic sporting events. Flop or no flop!
Help a kid smile today! It’s a Win, Win!
Ike
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