Manu Plays Against Spain

When team Argentina began its second phase of Olympic preparation against Spain, most eyes were fixated on one man, Manu Ginobili.

Manu, who had not played in two months, was expected to play between 10 and 15 minutes and ended with 18 points in 21 minutes in a loss with a final score of 90-88.

Naturally, Ginobili’s ankle would get the most attention, especially when he seemed to be limping after a time out. Manu would go on to say, “No, I came out limping but from the other leg, the right one.”

During the first half, Manu restrained himself from penetrating and merely moved through the offense and passed the ball to a teammate.

Doubts of whether Manu would be able to contribute were dispelled during the second half, where he scored all of his 18 points.

He said after the game, “I’m satisfied and happy that my left ankle didn’t hurt.”

“Apart from the fatigue I am very well . . . But it’s my first game in nearly two months and I wasn’t expecting to play like this after very little activity.”

Fabricio Oberto, also recovering from an injury, did not play against Spain but is confident he will be ready for the next game.

Oberto said, “I think that for the next game I’ll be back. Yesterday I played basketball for the first time after one week with the team and the sensations were very good, but I still need a little more to play without risk.”

Argentina will play its next friendly against Lithuania on Friday.