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Coming into their Western Conference Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Manu Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs already knew that they were not the favorites to advance to the next round. However, they were still hopeful that their experience could work to their advantage and upset their top-seeded opponents.
Things turned for the worse for their team though as their best player, Kawhi Leonard, re-aggravated his ankle injury in the first game, and was forced to miss the next three, which was one of factors why the Spurs got swept. Ginobili even compared playing without the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to going to war not equipped with the right weapons.
Spurs' Manu Ginobili on facing Warriors without Kawhi Leonard: "It's like going to war with a bat [instead of a gun]."
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 23, 2017
Although it could be argued that the Spurs would've had a better chance of beating the Dubs if they were at full strength, their opponents also deserve a lot of credit for playing at a very high level throughout the series. Their head coach, Gregg Popovich, even said criticizing them is “disrespectful” as he was gracious in defeat.
Ginobili has said that the outcome of this year's playoffs will not affect his retirement decision, but it could be that he'll feel the itch of bouncing back next season and avenge the disappointing end to their campaign. However, it could also mean that he'll ultimately decide to hang his sneakers for good as father time is already catching up to him. One thing that's certain is he'll have a lot to think about this summer.
