SAN ANTONIO -- Manu Ginobili is averaging a respectable 11.5 points, 5.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds during this postseason, but the San Antonio Spurs know there is another level to his game and they are eager to see it in the NBA Finals.
Ginobili and the Spurs are gearing up for the franchise's fifth appearance in the NBA Finals, where they will meet the defending champion Miami Heat starting Thursday in Miami.
"I still feel like Manu is saving his best for last," Tony Parker said. "I can feel a big final for him. That would be nice; we are definitely going to need it."
Tim Duncan agreed: "I told him he's saving himself."
Truthfully, Ginobili has never saved himself on the court since his earliest days playing basketball in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
"He's just hell-bent for leather, absolutely all-out," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He plays with a ferocity at both ends of the court that's very unique. Coaches love that stuff."
At age 35, Ginobili no longer has the long, flowing hair that whipped violently each time he tumbled to the court -- opponents would say flopped -- but the fierce drives are still there in his 11th season.
"He's one of those guys, who, at age 50, won't be able to walk," former NBA coach Nate McMillan has said.
Ginobili already has difficulty staying upright, missing 22 games this season after missing 32 in the lockout-shortened 2012 season. After missing much of the final month of the regular season with a strained hamstring, Ginobili said he feels as healthy as he did entering training camp.
"It's great to have had this opportunity to keep playing," Ginobili said. "I feel better. If we had lost in the first round, I wasn't even back. After three weeks sitting, then four games, five games and the season's over, you go back home with a really bad feeling about the season. But since the way things have turned out, to tell you the truth, I even forgot what happened during the season. I'm feeling good now. We're in the Finals, so who cares? No one is going to remember I missed 20 games during the regular season."
While Parker and Duncan receive a lion's share of credit for the team's successful 16-year run, they know they need a healthy Ginobili to thrive.
"Manu is one of the ultimate competitors in our league, and has been for a long time," Popovich said. "He has been a big factor in us winning games [and] winning championships. He's very important to what we do."
It's not just his willingness to take a charge or fearlessness in taking a last-second shot that makes Ginobili critical to the team. He is a vocal leader and the team's resident cut-up, chastising the younger players when he isn't playfully bullying them.
Ginobli said he has no plans to retire, but he is cherishing this trip to the Finals more than his three previous appearances.
"I completely love what I do, and I think people can tell," Ginobili said. "Even though I can start to see the end of the road, it's hard to really imagine being a retired player because I still really love what I do. I enjoy the locker room before a game. I even enjoy it after a loss; just the camaraderie, the stay together, going to dinner to talk about what we've done wrong.
"I feel like you've got somebody that supports you and you support somebody else. Trying to get over humps all together is great. It's a great feeling that you are probably never going to have ever again once you retire.
"Sometimes you are tired, you are older; it's harder to come back from injures, but at the same time, you enjoy what you do."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.