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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 31, 2014Manu GinobiliOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Six San Antonio – 112 Q. Manu, they were playing pretty good defense on you guys in the first half, 20 points, 22 points, then you guys explode for 37 in the third and obviously great offense, too, in overtime. What were you seeing to be able to turn the tide back? MANU GINOBILI: We needed to bring more pace and energy to our offense. We were a little flat during the first half, so when we play like that against a team that is faster, stronger and longer than us, everything gets more complicated and our shots are contested. So we really wanted to move the ball faster, make them guard us, and I think we did a very good job in the third quarter. The ball moved very sharply, and we made big shots, and we scored 37 in that quarter. That was huge to turn things up and get us going. Q. There will be a lot of speculation about the Thunder because they didn't reach their goals. What is your take on this Thunder team right now? How would you describe them? MANU GINOBILI: They are a pretty good team. They have so much talent, so much athleticism, so much future, too. I think they struggled in the first two games without Ibaka. They needed time to adjust because they played with him all season, and he's a big part of what they do defensively especially, and offensively making those jumpers, you've got to really respect him. They started down 0‑2, and it's always hard to come back. They were very close, but I've got to give them credit, man. They are a tough team. I'm so proud of our team to have beaten them here. It's very hard to do in a playoff game with the talent they have and the crowd. It was a tough accomplishment, and we did it, but I think they are fantastic. Q. Tim said going into overtime that he wanted to come in and do something to help the team. He had seven straight points. Can you just talk about the focus you saw from him in the overtime? He played 39 minutes tonight. MANU GINOBILI: Yeah, I really don't know how he does it. This postseason it happened a few times to play 39, 40 minutes. It's not easy because he's getting bumped all the time and he's got to guard pick‑and‑rolls, but he keeps doing it. You know that he might be struggling one game or missing a few shots, but he's there, and the opponent has got to respect him, and he's always got to be ready with a solution down the stretch. Today we were pretty tired in overtime. They were very physical, and it's always hard to score against them, and we just started to give him the ball, and he gave us solutions. As always, outstanding. Q. Did Tony not look right to you at all, and when did you know he wasn't going to play in the second half, and what did you think about Cory stepping in? MANU GINOBILI: Three minutes before the game, Pop told me to be ready in case I had to play point. I looked at him like to say, why. Because Tony might not play, three minutes before the game. I didn't even know. He didn't tell me at shootaround that he was sore, so it's a tough one. How important Tony is for us. He tried. He gave it a try in the first half, but he wasn't what we needed him to be to attack them. Just being there is not enough. You've got to be there, be physical, attack, push it, and he wasn't ready to do it, so Pop pulled the plug on him. He said that he was not ready, and it was true. It was tough getting into the third quarter down seven without him, but we're going to do our best, and we knew that we needed movement, and I think we did that very well. Q. What did you think about Cory? MANU GINOBILI: Cory was very good. I mean, it's hard to play when you don't have many opportunities to play in close games and stuff. But he did very well in Game 3 and 4 here, even though the difference was big, but he always brings the juice, aggressiveness, competitiveness. He attacks the rim well. I think he made a few key plays. But again, that's very hard to do when you don't play consistently. So a lot of credit to Cory for his minutes. Q. For all the Spurs' success over the years, you haven't been to back to back Finals. What does that achievement mean to you? MANU GINOBILI: It's true. I think in all‑‑ this is my 12th season. I truly believe every season that we had a shot at winning the championship. That's the great thing of playing a franchise like this with the teammates I'm playing with. But going to The Finals twice in a row is very hard to accomplish, especially because you guys can see the amount of talent we are facing every time. In Dallas we went to a Game7. Portland is a tough, tough team, very talented, very athletic, and we don't even have to talk about them. Going back to The Finals is a huge, huge accomplishment. Of course we're here and we want to go all the way. We want to win four more games. But I'm very, very proud of what we accomplished today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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