I grew up reading San Antonio sports columnist Buck Harvey. Buck was the main reason why, as a kid, I always read the Sports section first. For more than 20 years, he has shared his gift for putting things into perspective, and focusing on overlooked details which are often of great importance.

I know Manu Ginobili had a history of winning, but as always, Buck puts things into perspective better than anyone:

From a Euroleague title in 2001, to a silver in the World Championships in 2002, to an NBA title with the Spurs in 2003, to the Olympic gold medal in 2004, to another NBA title in 2005. No one in the history of the game has this assortment of championships.

Had Ginobili continued the streak with a gold medal in Japan, he would have taken that résumé to a dramatic extreme. And he was close, and not just because of his final drive. A decision by his coaches provided the very deficit he had to overcome.