Minuto con Manu: Over with the Three-Time Champions

Some might not agree with me if I say we deserved that series. We played well and made important plays in several games except for the third one, which was the worst game for us. We are fully satisfied with our job.

The most important moment in this series was, as you might have guessed, the last period in the fifth game, when the Lakers were one shot away from winning (after recovering 23 or 25 points). This was undoubtedly a key moment. If we had lost this game, this would have been a K.O. for us. Even if nobody will say what would have happened, it would have been really hard to get over that kind of a loss and go on to a sixth game in Los Angeles.

It was a positive experience for the team, we learned a lot from our mistakes in the fifth game and in the whole series in general. Personally, I think I learned a lot from the NBA environment, from the playoffs, from Kobe and many others. I only hope we don’t get too happy or too satisfied, since we are only half way from the team’s main goal. We have now won only two of the four series we have to win to become the champions, so the ideal situation would be to take it as just one more series and start thinking about the next opponent.

From the first game against Dallas onwards, we need to make a fresh start. We have to be ready to face another very difficult opponent, and I as well as the rest of the Spurs are eagerly waiting for that.

Thanks a lot for the permanent support and affection you always give to me. I also want to thank the 4,000 or 5,000 people who welcomed us at the airport in San Antonio after returning from L.A.…and let’s keep on winning!

See you soon!
Manu Ginobili