Spurs loyalists who remained in attendance through the final minutes of their 129-115 beating at the hands of the Warriors didn't have a victory, nor so much as a sensational play to cheer about as they watched their 2017 quest for a title fading on Monday night, May 22. But they did have old dependable veteran Manu Ginobili, who for the 15th season, left everything he had on the court for San Antonio fans. And when he made his exit from the game with 2 minutes and 25 seconds left on the clock, they let him know how much the city appreciates him, with chants of "Manu, Manu, Manu," and a round of applause rarely seen from a losing crowd.
“I don’t know why these guys are giving you a standing ovation,” teammate Patty Mills would recall telling Ginobili while speaking to reporters at the team's post-game press conference. As he sat soaking it all in from the bench, Ginobili, he said, appeared just as confused. “He said, ‘Yeah, I’m coming back for another three years.’”
The truth of the matter is that Ginobili doesn't know whether he'll be back. In addition to contemplating whether he wants to continue running the floor with today's fresh talent, he may be forced to consider whether he'd be willing to do it with another team, as he will now enter the realm of unrestricted free-agency. While the Spurs have long proven to be a loyal organization, there is no telling what direction they will decide to go in next year and whether their plans would include the 39-year-old. It has often been the case that players, such as Ginobili, who've never played anywhere else, will simply wave the game goodbye when they find themselves in such a compromising position.
In any case, whether or not it was the fans' intuition about the future of the legendary role player, whose helped bring the city four titles, or it was simply them applauding his 15 point/ 7 assist performance in what was his first post-season start in four years, those in attendance at AT&T Center were intent on handing a night that would have otherwise belonged to Golden State, over to their guy.
"We started him tonight out of respect," Popovich said after the game. "That was the whole reason for starting him. Before the game, you think it may or may not be his last game that he ever plays in, and I did not want to miss the opportunity to honor him in front of our home fans for his selflessness over the years. This is a Hall of Fame player who allowed me to bring him off the bench for -- I can't even remember now -- the last decade or something because it would make us a better team overall."
Source: espn.com
