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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Play Does the Talking for a Quiet Spur</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
By MIKE WISE<br>
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AN ANTONIO, May 19 - In playground parlance, Manu Ginobili was the guy sitting by the chain-link fence, waiting for his turn to play. No one could be sure about his talent. At 6 feet 6 inches, he was not especially tall next to his N.B.A. peers. And while his Euro League résumé was nice, it guaranteed only interest from the United States, not playing time.<br>
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So when Ginobili, a 25-year-old Argentine, showed up for training camp with the San Antonio Spurs last year, nothing he did to turn heads at the world championships or anywhere else mattered. To his teammates, Ginobili was still the quiet soul you would worry about adding to your team at the playground, if for no other reason than he might cost you the court all afternoon.<br>
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"He is an unassuming type of basketball player," Malik Rose, his teammate, said this morning after the Spurs practiced. "He comes over here with European clothes: the slacks are a little tighter, the shorts are a little shorter. And he has this unassuming look.<br>
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"But when he gets on that court? He'll embarrass you."<br>
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At first glance, he does not fit in. Ginobili plays a warp-speed game on Tim Duncan's milk-the-clock team. He chucks 3-pointers on the break, crucial possession or not. He often puts his head down, slithering through defenders, trying to get to the basket. He pushes the ball almost as much as Tony Parker, the point guard. <br>
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Ginobili is also a skilled half-court player; in point of fact, he is one of the players Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich wants with the ball when the shot clock is about to expire. Ginobili creates his own shot, the way most successful sixth men in pro basketball do.<br>
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But his quick-shot background and his moxie almost make him more suited for the other Western Conference finalist. Indeed, Ginobili appears to be the player Dallas Coach Don Nelson forgot to scout for the internationally famous run-and-shoot offense employed by his Mavericks. <br>
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"I love how they play, but that doesn't mean I will play like that," Ginobili said of the Mavericks. "We have to play smart, focused, tough defense."<br>
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Whether his teammates and coaches have got to him is unclear. Either way, if the all-Texas conference finals turn into a track meet, if the Mavericks' Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel run till they drop, Ginobili is revved and ready.<br>
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In the first two playoff series, Ginobili hit almost half of his 3-point attempts (17 of 35). He made 61.5 percent of his shots from behind the arc as the Spurs eliminated the defending champion Lakers in the second round. He played fewer than 28 minutes a game but managed to change the tempo and the complexion of several games in which he played. <br>
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Ginobili's adjustment in his first season showed how quickly recent international players have adapted to their surroundings. The conference finals are being billed as the I-35 Series for the interstate highway that stretches the 274 miles between San Antonio and Dallas. <br>
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But it might as well be the international finals, what with six players from outside the United States (not counting Tim Duncan, who is from St. Croix, V.I.) on the two rosters. In addition to Ginobili, there are Parker and Tariq Abdul-Wahad of France, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, Nash of Canada and Eduardo Najera of Mexico.<br>
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Unlike Nowitzki and most of the others, Ginobili had the advantage of coming to the N.B.A. after a standout European career. <br>
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"I've been in a lot of important situations," he said in halting English. "Probably the Euro League final four is not the same scale as the Western Conference finals. But for me, that moment was the biggest moment I ever played. Was a lot of pressure. A lot of responsibility. So I think I'm ready. I'm not nervous about it."<br>
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Ginobili has blended in seamlessly on the floor and off. During the team's shoot-around this morning, he and Danny Ferry fired bullet passes at each other, like two children playing dodge ball. He is often one of those stay-late players, engaging in friendly shooting wagers after practice with teammates.<br>
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He wears his coal-black hair closely cropped and is usually smiling. Sports Illustrated recently ran a photo of the Italian actor Roberto Benigni next to Ginobili's mug under the assumption they were look-alikes. <br>
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"He's a very talented guy, so I'm kind of proud of it," Ginobili said.<br>
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When asked whom he thought the best international player in the series was, Ginobili said, "Well, Nowitzki is an All-Star, so that's it."<br>
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Ginobili is not surprised by his quick adjustment to life in the N.B.A., and he does not take for granted a possible trip to the N.B.A. finals.<br>
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"I was kind of dreaming playing this kind of games," Ginobili said. "So once I saw how the season was going, the way we finish in the first spot, I was waiting for the rings."<br>
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He added: "I think we got a big chance, big opportunity this year. And probably we'll never have it again. So I think we got to enjoy it."<br>
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