Manu Ginobili nutmegging David West is a thing of beauty and a joy forever
In an 0-2 hole against the best team in the Western Conference and without MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard and starting point guard Tony Parker due to injury, Manu Ginobili knew the San Antonio Spurs needed him to come up big in a must-win Game 3 of the 2017 Western Conference finals. In the final minute of the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors, the 39-year-old Argentine legend offered yet another reminder this postseason that he’s still got some of the old magic at his disposal:
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Manu Ginobli’s nutmeg of David West with all the replays https://t.co/zCIFvf8Ggl
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) May 21, 2017
With his team down 14 points and just over 12 minutes between him and an 0-3 deficit, Ginobili decides his best course of action while dribbling over half-court and into a screen from Pau Gasol is to bounce the ball through David West’s legs to himself, then slither between Gasol and West to sort-of-split-a-double-team-although-one-of-the-guys-is-his-teammate. His decision was correct, as he caught West completely off-guard, got all the way to the basket and drew a foul to get to the line for free throws.
No, Manu didn’t end this play with a bucket, but man, does that not matter. The audacity, the vision, the touch, the poise, the craft: layup or no, this is the kind of play that serves a reminder of just what a unique competitor and playmaker the Spurs have featured since 2003, and how lucky they’ll be to continue employing him until such time as he decides to hang it up. (Which, we sincerely hope, is “not yet.”)
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
