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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSJune 6, 2012Manu GinobiliOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Six Oklahoma City – 107 Q.  First half, first quarter in particular, you guys really had the offense flowing, second half it was tougher to score. What was the biggest change that they made? MANU GINOBILI: I don't know. Probably they were more energetic, they played better defense, they were more aggressive, and we were not as sharp, as lucid, to find the open teammate. We played in an up‑tempo mode, and we found easier shots. In the second half we kind of stopped, and we couldn't find anything, anything easy really. Q. Did any or much of it have to do with the fact that they're 22, 23, and they're younger? MANU GINOBILI: Maybe, maybe, of course. We can't have their legs, their energy. We're never going to jump as high or run as fast. But first half, we played a great job. We just moved the ball, found teammates, made shots, and in the second half, as I said before, they were very active and we couldn't find anything easy. So of course probably at the end of the game, they were more fresh. But bottom line also, they made the shots that they had to make. Fisher from the corner was one huge one. Besides the runs, Harden had one from the left wing that was tough on us. We were making a run. We were feeling good about ourselves, and he brought the game back to seven, I think. So those were two tough shots, and we just couldn't make them. Q. Tell me what you've seen from the Thunder in the last several games, and what do you see their future as? MANU GINOBILI: Of course it's very bright. When your best three players are 22 and 23, it's hard not to be optimistic about the future of this franchise. They are great. They have so much talent, and they are so athletic, and they've got a great front office. I mean, we know Sam Presti. He's a really sharp guy, and he pulled this basically out of nothing. So they've got a very bright future really. Q. Obviously the way the NBA generally works, it takes a while for teams to get going before they hit the NBA Finals. This is just the fourth season of existence for Oklahoma City. Are you shocked how quickly they've been able to move up from a team that won 23 games in the first season to a team that's going to the NBA Finals? MANU GINOBILI: Yes. Of course it's not something that is going to happen very often. You need a little luck, also. You get the No.1 pick for the most important tie of the decade with Durant and LeBron probably, and then they had a bad season, Durant's first, so they had an opportunity to get another two, I think it was the following year. They made great picks. They are well coached, so it is impressive what they accomplished in such a short period of time. So got to give not only the front office but everybody credit because coaching staff and players have been amazing, really. Q. We've talked a little bit about the Thunder. Tell us where the Spurs go from here with your age, an older team? MANU GINOBILI: Same place we've been going the last eight years. We've been always old. We've been always criticized for that. We still compete. We won the West‑‑ well, regular season, of course. We are fine. We trust Bob and RC to make good decisions, bring talent. I think they did an unbelievable job this year. I think we had the best record in the league. I mean, what else you can expect, right? We just faced a great young team, and we wish we would have had the opportunity to eliminate them. We lost a very important Game 5, but there's not much to complain about. We had a great run, we just couldn't beat these guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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