The Spurs, lacking new breakthroughs on the perimeter, started to place their hopes in Ginobili calling upon the divine.
15 minutes of Jordan wasn't enough; they needed at least 35 minutes of Jordan to have a chance of making the Supersonics scared.
But tonight, Ginobili was neither the 15-minute Jordan nor the underperforming player Popovich couldn't wait to trade after the game; he simply oscillated between being a god and a beast.
Sometimes, he could go one-on-one against Yu Fei on the outside.
He used changes in pace to create space for three-point shots, and then scored.
Seeing such a Ginobili, every 300-pound San Antonio person proudly puffed up their belly.
"Oh my God, Manu! Our Manu, do you have a Manu like this?"
However, soon enough, out of nowhere, he would throw a cross-court pass that was a defensive grenade—successful, it's a top highlight; failed, it's a groan-worthy blunder.
Tonight he failed more often than not.