Manu Ginobili Injury: Spurs Will Be Doomed in Playoffs If Health Woes Continue

Manu Ginobili is out indefinitely with a strained oblique, and while the Spurs have fared well without him in the regular season, they won't make a deep playoff run if he's not at full health.

Ginobili initially hurt his rib area on Tuesday against the Pistons, then re-aggravated it after running into Kenyon Martin on Saturday. He limped into the locker room at halftime and attempted to play in the third quarter, but the pain was too much.

It's another unfortunate turn in Ginobili's injury saga. He's already missed 22 games this season with a broken hand, and his hyperextended elbow contributed to San Antonio's early demise in last year's playoffs.

If the crafty two-guard can't maintain his health this spring, the Spurs will be treated to another early postseason exit. San Antonio has been tearing it up without Ginobili thus far, but you shouldn't place too much faith in anything that happens during this chaotic post-lockout schedule.

Gregg Popovich is working his usual voodoo, and Danny Green and Gary Neal have been excellent. However, the Spurs won't be able to hang with the West's best in a seven-game series if Ginobili's not at full strength.

As we've seen time and time again, unless Tom Thibodeau is your coach, you need at least two top-notch scorers to advance far into the playoffs. And while Tim Duncan is playing well in his old age, he's no longer capable of dropping 20 points on a nightly basis.

Outside of Ginobili, Tony Parker is the only Spur who can dominate a game offensively. San Antonio's roster is loaded with specialists, but without another shot creator on the floor, they'll struggle against the NBA's elite.

Luckily, Ginobili said today that the injury is not as severe as he initially feared. While that's good news for the Spurs, it doesn't take away from the fact that the 34-year-old is highly injury prone. He throws his body around with reckless abandon, and every trip down the floor is another opportunity for him to hurt himself.

He can't tone down his aggressiveness on the court because he's just not wired to go half speed. But if he's not careful, Ginobili could ruin his teams playoff hopes with one bad break.