2010 NBA Playoffs: Manu Ginobili is Fearless

Is there anyone tougher?

It was a Halloween game between the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs. A rogue bat had stalled the game. However, with a swat of his hand Manu Ginobili restored order. After knocking the bat to the ground, Manu picked it up and gave it to the attendant.

“That’s a bad boy right there,” Kobe Bryant said about San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili.

Nicknamed El Contusion by his former teammate Brent Barry, Manu Ginobili has proven that he is one tough customer.

His style of play is unique, as few professional players are willing to put their bodies in harms way as frequently as Ginobili.

Throughout his career he has perfected the art of flopping, which irks many opposing teams and fans to no end.

Nevertheless, for him to repeatedly hit the hardwood after taking a charge only to get up and repeat the process takes guts.

It’s not just his ability to draw charges that makes him unique but it’s also the fearless manner in which he drives to the hoop. As a lefthander, his unorthodox moves around the basket increase the likelihood of contact, which he seems to crave.

Take, for example, game three of the 2010 first round series with the Dallas Mavericks.

Early in the third quarter, Ginobili sustained a broken nose from an inadvertent elbow from Dirk Nowitzki.

He left the game with a bloody nose and was immediately taken into the back. Less than five minutes later he returned with nose bandaged and nostrils plugged.

After being reinserted into the game, instead of settling for the outside shot, Ginobili took the ball on two sequential possessions and drove head first into the middle of the Dallas defense en route to the basket, seemingly oblivious to his injury.

Exposing your body to that type of physical abuse is bound to have an adverse effect.

The last several years have seen a battered and bruised Ginobili playing through pain and injury.

In 2007, he sustained a left ankle injury that keep him out of the postseason.

The summer of 2008 saw him tear his right ankle which resulted in surgery and derailed his 2009 season.

He started the 2010 campaign tentatively, like a kid trying to regain his confidence after falling off his bike. However, after the All-Star break, Manu Ginobili raised his level of play significantly and his restored confidence is evident in the resurgence of his fearlessness in attacking the basket.

The long season, coupled with the physicality of the playoffs, creates an environment that’s ripe for injuries.

In fact, history is filled with great NBA players who have battled through injury in pursuit of one more victory, like Willis Reed playing on a bum leg in game seven of the 1970 Finals. 

Manu Ginobili playing with a broken nose in the first round of the NBA playoffs does not equate to the effort of Willis Reed, but his entire body of work just might.

Manu Ginobili will enter the Hall of Fame as one of the most decorated non-American players of all time. With three NBA championships and one Olympic gold medal, he will likely remain the most celebrated Argentinian to play in the NBA.

However, like Reed who will always be remembered for his gutsy performance that brought New York its only championship, Manu’s legacy should reflect his place among the most fearless players of all time.