The Spurs are destined to finish the regular season and playoffs the same way they opened the year: without Manu Ginobili. It's a somewhat surprising development considering Ginobili played in both San Antonio games over the weekend, but he felt stiffness in his perpetually-ailing ankle on Sunday. An MRI and CT scan today revealed "an increased marrow edema and a stress fracture in his right distal fibula."Ginobili missed the first 12 games of the season after aggravating the ankle during the Olympics, and he missed another 19 games in January and February with what was originally termed a stress reaction, which, as Gregg Popovich made clear at the time, wasn't as serious as a stress reaction.
"Not a stress fracture, [but] a stress reaction, which is very different," Popovich said back in February. "A stress fracture goes all the way through the bone, and a stress reaction, I'm told, is just topical." Given the terminology used in today's announcement, it seems Ginobili's injury has gotten worse.
Losing Ginobili not only puts a damper on the team's playoff hopes, but also its sprint to the finish line trying to secure the best seed -- the Spurs are just two games in back of the No. 2 seed but also a mere two-and-a-half games ahead of the No. 7 seed.
