'Co-MVP' Ginobili anointed The Man-u of San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO -- Argentina's Manu Ginobili is officially a household name, and the San Antonio Spurs are world champions because of it.

Manu Ginobili scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the title. (AP)

Before the series began, it was written here that if his status grew, the Spurs would be holding up a trophy. With chants of MVP raining down from the SBC Center crowd as he connected on free throw after free throw to help seal Detroit's fate, it was clear he had elevated himself to superstar level.

In less than a year Ginobili has earned an Olympic gold medal, an NBA championship, and ascended to All-Star status, joining Michael Jordan among the small handful of players to achieve such success.

"It's not easy to win any of them," Ginobili said. "Being a part of the Argentinean team was an unbelievable feeling. Today I'm too tired, but I bet in a month I'm going to feel the same way about this championship."

He should have added Finals co-MVP to his list of accolades. In the fourth quarter of Game 7 Ginobili took over, scoring 11 points, grabbing three rebounds, and dishing out a pair of assists -- all team highs. With 10:01 remaining, he scored his first points of the period on a memorable dunk in which he knifed through the lane and seemed to extend like Gumby to put the ball over the rim. That basket snapped a 59-59 tie, giving the Spurs the lead for good.

It's understood why Tim Duncan claimed his third MVP trophy. Despite some unimpressive shooting performances, Duncan's presence opens things up for the rest of his team, and without him out there, they're not a championship team.

I'll buy that, but the same can be said about Ginobili.

He set the tone in Games 1 and 2 with his wonderful play, and the Spurs struggled without him at full strength after injuring his thigh early in Game 3. He was back at 100 percent in the finale, and was the strongest player left on the court at the end. When it was badly needed, he seemingly found a little more.

"Manu is unbelievable. You can say that about so many people, whether it's true or not, but I think it's absolutely true for him," Duncan said. "I don't think we've even scratched the surface with him. He just plays with reckless abandon, doesn't care the time or the situation, and doesn't care if it's a preseason game or Finals game. He plays the same way."

He's going to continue to grow and we're going to continue to build around him. He was so big for us, every game, in the fourth quarter. He was the guy that took things and really made things happen, and to play besides someone like that who can do that in that situation, it takes so much pressure off myself, off of Tony (Parker). It helps our team so much."

Perhaps it's because of that winning pedigree, of consistently being the go-to guy for his former clubs in South America and Europe, but Ginobili relishes pressure situations and exudes leadership in that he'll do anything to win.

Off the court, he's dealt with all the pressures that come with being an international star. He must grant separate interviews in both languages; he has a responsibility to the Latin American world as its newest champion, and he accepts that and never lets it appear to be a burden.

He seems to be the perfect complement to the more subdued Duncan, getting on teammates and pumping them up, infusing them with his glaring fire that served as the final ingredient in the "boring" Spurs capturing a title.

At times, it appears Ginobili is out of control. His eyes bulge out; his slicked back hair looks like he ran miles in a rainstorm. That's where the "organized chaos" term people use to describe his game comes from.

At the tail end of Game 6, he lost his head, forcing shots in the final minutes when the ball should have gone to Duncan, who had the advantage of having guys in foul trouble trying to guard him. At that point, Ginobili became disorganized, and watching tape of that game only confirmed that.

"He gave himself a lot of crap over the finish of Game 6. He thought he took some bad shots," Duncan said. "He got on himself about it more than anybody else got on him and that's what he's going to do. We understand it now, and we love having him and we love what he does down the stretch."

Duncan and Ginobili have surpassed Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade as the league's top post-perimeter combo. The proof is in the rings they'll sport next season. They're what Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, and Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming hope to be, and it's only getting started.

Duncan is 29; Ginobili will be 28 later next month. They enter their prime years together, already champions twice in a three-year period. Consider that Ginobili just gets better as he gains confidence -- last summer's Olympic performance key in this year's explosion -- and you can see San Antonio is an ever-growing monster.

"I think we've really got a core here that we're in love with, and we're going to have it together for a couple of years," said Duncan. "We have a team that we be able to try to -- in years to come, try to continue to get back to this point."

Or, more succinctly, Ginobili says, "this continues, and we're going to try to repeat it."

Together -- as co-MVPs. As the greatest tandem in the world.