text: Spurs notebook: Leadership role on pine suits Ginobili just fine - Spurs Nation
  By Mike Monroe on December 24, 2012 at 8:26 PM
  With the Mavericks intent on keeping Manu Ginobili from completing his drives to the basket in Sunday's game at the AT&T Center, the Spurs guard adapted quickly.
  In just 21 minutes of playing time, Ginobili handed out a season-high nine assists in the Spurs' 129-91 victory. He took only four shots and scored just six points but had four of the Spurs' season-high 17 steals and remains the clear leader of a bench unit that remains one of the NBA's most productive.
  "The bench was great (Sunday)," said forward-center Boris Diaw, who has come off the bench in 20 games and started nine times. "I tell everybody that when Manu is there that there is no difference between the second unit and first unit, and you could see that.
  "Everybody can score and pass the ball. We are moving the ball so well and had so many threes against (the Mavericks) because we had so many assists as a team. We all play well together. We're like one big unit."
  Utterly resigned to coming off the bench for the rest of his career but assured he will always be on the court when crunch time arrives in any close game, Ginobili has assumed leadership of a group whose skills he appreciates.
  The two-time All-Star's selfless approach has not gone unnoticed by Spurs captain Tim Duncan, who cited Ginobili's playmaking Sunday as an example of what has made the Spurs the NBA's leader in assists this season.
  "He's a basketball player," Duncan said. "He's going to make the plays where they are. If they decide to play him for the pass, he's going to score that thing. He wants to score, but he's a very willing passer on this team. I think we all are.
  "We're all going to take what's there. That's what we've been taught. If somebody has a better shot than we do, we're going to try to get it to him."
  Throwing it down: After missing his first three shots near the rim against the Mavericks and taking two trips to the foul line after moves to the basket were stopped by hard fouls, Spurs center Tiago Splitter closed the third quarter with a powerful dunk after a slick feed from Ginobili on a pick-and-roll play.
  It might have been the most demonstrative move of Splitter's three seasons in silver and black and brought the entire bench to its feet.
  "I told him he was flying out there," point guard Tony Parker said. "It was nice."
  Veteran guard Stephen Jackson also enjoyed Splitter's highlight reel dunk but disagreed with those who assert he should dunk more often.
  "I'm not going to say that," Jackson said. "I can't complain about what Tiago does for us. He does his job well as far as being that guy who can play with Tim and also be a backup five. He can score. He can rebound. He plays defense well. He's probably one of our best players in the paint.
  "If you asked me to change something about Tiago's game, I wouldn't. To me, he does everything perfect."