Game 3 Recap: Welcome Back

(Queue Welcome Back Kotter music.)

The Spurs should be up 2-1, and whether they were held back by absurd plane difficulties after game 7 of the semis or just fatigued, they needed to recapture the fire that got them back in the Hornets series.

Enter Ginobili.

Remember this guy? The one that goes on those "nothing will stand in my way" terminator-like benders. His 5 three pointers in the first half (tying the Spurs record) completely swung momentum, and, for at least one game, the Spurs had the best 2-guard on the court.

Reportedly "pissed off" before the game, Manu gave us a reminder that, when angry, he's one of the best in the league. For whatever reason, Manu is wired in a way that links his determination with how much he utterly despises his own performance or the guy guarding him. Did you see him barking at Rony Turiaf late in the game? That's when he's focused, and he's the last guy you want to give a hard foul to.

That being said, game 3 was the obvious win. The Spurs, by virtue of being pissed off, had to be favored. San Antonio had, after all, won 12 straight playoff home games. Therein is the new formula for the Spurs: win every home game, and steal as many as you can on the road. Long term, Ginobili won't always be that fired up, accurate, or dominating. They won't always get the nod from a relatively weak ref crew. Likewise, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and Pau Gasol won't collectively pull a Houdini in a major road playoff game that often.

So, as great as Manu was, the more telling aspects of the game came with the other aspects of the offense. Tim Duncan made his moves quicker, not allowing the double to collapse on him. There was significantly more motion on offense, which takes the pressure off of Parker to create off of the pick'n'roll for half of the possessions. Pop also used a fired up Brent Barry, which is always a cure for bad ball movement. Finally, the Spurs, for the most part, abandoned small ball for game 3, but pushed the ball in transition with Parker and Ginobili at the helm. You could tell it was a point of emphasis: even Finley pushed the ball, trying to keep up the tempo and get easy buckets.

Ginobili was fantastic. But with lingering injuries, can he put together 3 great games out of the next 4? Maybe...but it would be nice if the Spurs could establish a rhythm that allowed him to have an offnight. It would be great if Finley could maintain his shooting stroke (3-6), Barry could provide a spark (4 assists), and Parker could remain an efficient scorer rather than a volume scorer (20 points on only 15 shots). At the end of the day, the Spurs are going to have to collectively up their play, not just rely on Manu's hero mode.

If these offensive elements can hold up, the Spurs have given themselves a legitimate shot. Besides, they did this all before...about 2 weeks ago.