The Spurs and Warriors are set to face off in a potentially decisive Game 4 Monday night, and for one player, it could mean his last NBA game.
Manu Ginobili has been synonymous with Spurs basketball for over a decade while helping the franchise to four NBA titles throughout his career. But the 39-year-old shooting guard is nearing the end of his basketball road.
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“I’m going to go game by game,” Ginobili said, via expressnews.com. “We’ll see if (Monday) is the last one of the season. We hope that it’s not, and that we have a few more. Once it’s over, then I’ll start wondering what the future brings.”
Despite San Antonio's poor performances following Kawhi Leonard's controversial injury in Game 1, Ginobili has the respect of his Warriors opponents.
“He’s been obviously great for the game of basketball, great for the NBA, great for the Spurs organization,” Stephen Curry said. “I want to see where that fountain of youth is so I can see if I can get a hold of that for the rest of my career.”
Kevin Durant added that, despite turning 40 in July, Ginobili still enjoys the game.
"You can just tell how much he loves the game of basketball," Durant said.
Should the Spurs lose and Ginobili decide to retire, he can look back on Game 3 of this series as one of his more startling performances. With Leonard, Tony Parker and David Lee out of the lineup, Ginobili scored 21 points, which was the second-most by a player his age in a conference finals game.
Coach Gregg Popovich doesn't believe Ginobili ate his Wheaties that morning, but he did have an alternative meal prediction for his beloved guard.
“I think it was a bunch of blueberries and turmeric, garlic and all kinds of things,” Popovich said. “Pomegranates, whatever you get to make you rejuvenate.
“To go out there and have that will and that competitiveness and to summon it up like that... He’s a remarkable human being.”
Spurs fans may be struggling to find a reason to watch Monday night's game. Look no further than Manu Ginobili, one of the most underrated players in the game, possibly playing for the last time.
