Spurs guard Manu Ginobili sat out the fourth quarter with a tight hamstring because Gregg Popovich didn’t want to risk further injury.
Ginobili also banged knees with Thunder rookie James Harden in the first half, staying on the floor for several seconds after a collision.
“I didn’t keep him out because of his knee,” Popovich said. “I kept him out because of a hamstring that’s been tight. I just thought it would be best to be conservative than to have that hamstring be worse and lose him for a long period.”
The ultra-competitive Ginobili disagreed with his coach.
“Of course, I always want to play in the fourth quarter, but Pop made a decision and stuck with it,” he said. “(The hamstring) is not worse than the game before. It’s actually better.”
Popovich knew Ginobili was unhappy with the decision but stuck by it.
“It’s a close call,” he said, “but I would do the same thing again and sit him with that tight hamstring, for sure.”
