There goes Gregg Popovich, digging in his deep bag of tricks again.

The San Antonio Spurs coach gave sixth man Manu Ginobili his first start of the entire season Sunday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals vs. the Miami Heat. The move comes after Ginobili discussed retirement Saturday, meaning there’s at least a chance this will be his final game in San Antonio.

But it also comes as Ginobili has struggled in the Finals. He shot 10-for-29 in the first four games but came out firing, nailing a jump shot on the first possession. The shot initially was ruled a three-pointer, but a review later changed it to a two.

Ginobili finished the first half with 11 points and six assists, his best effort in at least a month. With point guard Tony Parker playing on a sore hamstring, he took over much of the offensive initiation.

The move makes sense, as Ginobili replaced forward Tiago Splitter to give the Spurs a smaller lineup. The Heat went smaller to start Game 4 and opened up the court with more shooters available. Splitter didn’t get in until late in the first quarter, replacing Tim Duncan with 1 minute, 29 seconds remaining.

Popovich used a similar strategy in the 2012 Western Conference finals, starting Ginobili for the final two games of that series. Ginobili played well, particularly in Game 5 when he had 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but the Oklahoma City Thunder won both games to beat the Spurs 4-2.

Still, Ginobili hasn’t started since, coming off the bench 78 times this season and postseason as his production declined because of age and injury.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Chris Bosh had his best game in a month Thursday for the Miami Heat.

It came with a cost.

The Heat center was fined $5,000 Friday for a flop during the 109-93 Game 4 victory, which evened the NBA Finals at 2-2. Bosh repulsed himself away from San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan on a second-quarter play, flying to the floor despite only a slight push from Duncan, who was whistled for a foul.

The call wiped away a layup by Spurs guard Gary Neal while the Heat led 41-32. But it also might have galvanized the Spurs, who closed the half on a 17-8 run to tie it.

Bosh’s performance went beyond acting, though. He had 20 points and 13 rebounds in his best performance since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls on May 10. He joined with superstars LeBron James (33 points) and Dwyane Wade (32) to account for 78% of Miami’s scoring.

The NBA’s crackdown on flopping this season has stretched into the postseason, with James and Shane Battier of the Heat also receiving fines. There were several other plays in Game 4 that could have drawn fine consideration.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will face off for the NBA title. For the Spurs, it would be the fifth in 15 years. For the Heat, it would be the third in eight and second in a row. Here’s how they match up:

When the Spurs have the ball

Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter should give San Antonio an advantage in the paint. Heat big men Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen are tough defenders, but they will struggle to defend the Spurs’ bigger, more skilled big men. Heat star Chris Bosh may take on an increased defensive role against Duncan if that’s the case, and he is a better defender than he gets credit for being.

The Spurs love to spread the ball with quick passes around the perimeter. But that can be a risky proposition against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The Heat stars love to grab lazy passes and take them down for fast-break dunks. San Antonio will have to be extremely cautious and may be better off having point guard Tony Parker exploit Mario Chalmers off the dribble. The Heat, though, can counter by putting James or Wade on Parker, overwhelming him with size and athleticism.

When the Heat have the ball

Guarding James and Wade is a bear of a task, but Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are good one-on-one defenders. The key will be the help defense. Splitter is inconsistent, but Duncan is one of the best in the game at helping his teammates and keeping opponents out of the paint.

The Heat, like the Spurs, have a glut of three-point shooters. But they prefer to get them open with savvy penetration. San Antonio struggled to stop the three-point shooting of the Golden State Warriors in the second round, and Miami offers even more varied looks.

Key matchup: Kawhi Leonard vs. LeBron James

No one can guard James. But Leonard has the strength and quickness to stay with him somewhat. Getting that kind of contribution out of the second-year player would be a huge help. Still, the four-time NBA MVP is about 2 inches and 30 pounds bigger than Leonard, and he showed improving post skills in the Eastern Conference finals vs. the Indiana Pacers.

Overall

When these teams met in the regular season, the Spurs rested their stars for the first meeting and the Heat for the second. So it’s very difficult to figure out how these teams match up. They were two of the three dominant teams this season(along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who bowed out because of Russell Westbrook’s injury). This matchup would be a great finish to a great season, whether James gets his second ring in a row or Duncan gets the fifth of his career.

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Jason Kidd finally is ready to walk away, championship ring on his finger and spot in the record books well established.

The 19-year NBA point guard finished his career in the bright lights, just as he played it. Kidd announced his retirement Monday, with two years remaining on his contract with the New York Knicks. So ends a run featuring 10 All-Star Game appearances, three NBA Finals appearances and two Olympic gold medals.

“My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years,” Kidd said in a Knicks news release. “As I reflect on my time with the four teams I represented in the NBA, I look back fondly at every season and thank each every one of my teammates and coaches that joined me on the court.”

Kidd, who finished with career averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals in 1,391 games, came into the NBA with a rare combination of speed, size and unmatched passing ability. Picked second by the Dallas Mavericks out of California, he was co-rookie of the year in 1994-95 with Grant Hill, who announced his own retirement Saturday.

Kidd’s playing style was irresistible, and he finished with 12,091 assists and 2,684 steals, both second in NBA history. He’s second to John Stockton all-time in both categories and third in three-pointers and turnovers.

That style, though, didn’t always make him easy to play with. Kidd was a dominant force, and he and early Mavericks teammates Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson butted heads frequently. Bickering and injuries forced management’s hands, and all three promising young players were traded during the 1996-97 season. For Kidd, that meant the Phoenix Suns, a fresh start that brought him to true stardom.

Kidd led the NBA in assists per game three times with the Suns, making three all-NBA first teams along the way. He improved his all-around game resolutely, averaging 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game with Phoenix. Kidd finished his career with 107 triple-doubles, third-most in NBA history.

He also played a key role in Team USA’s 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medal run.

But by 2001, the Suns, too, had decided to move on, targeting a younger roster even if it meant trading an in-his-prime superstar. Kidd, 28, was dealt to the New Jersey Nets in a five-player deal sending 24-year-old point guard Stephon Marbury to Phoenix. The trade was lopsided, to say the least: Kidd far outplayed and far outlasted Marbury in the NBA.

And with the Nets, his star power took off. Kidd led New Jersey to the NBA Finals in each of his first two seasons, though they were swept in 2002 by the Los Angeles Lakers and lost 4-2 in 2003 to the San Antonio Spurs. He finished second to the Spurs’ Tim Duncan in 2002 NBA MVP Award voting.

“Jason Kidd was the captain of the Nets during their most successful period in the NBA, and is considered the greatest player in the Nets’ NBA history,” Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King said in a news release. “On behalf of the entire Brooklyn Nets organization, we congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career.”

While Kidd’s career was taking off, his marriage to Joumana Kidd was not. The couple divorced in 2007, and she accused him of harsh domestic violence. Kidd previously had gone to anger management counseling after pleading guilty to domestic abuse against Joumana in 2001. The couple has three children, but Jason Kidd has remarried.

The Nets traded Kidd in 2007. Perhaps more importantly, they traded the second half of a large contract they had given him. Kidd was dealt to the Mavericks, a return to his old stomping grounds with entirely new faces around him. He and Dirk Nowitzki quickly clicked, and Kidd showed flashes of three-point accuracy unlike what he had in his arsenal before.

The skill would do him well in his later years, as his quick first step faded. Kidd finished his career as a 34.9% shooter from beyond the arc, but he hit 37.8% from 2007-08 through 2012-13.

Kidd returned to Team USA for the 2008 Olympics, leading the “Redeem Team” to gold. His pass-first play made him the ideal point guard for a star-laden squad, and he finished his spectacular international career undefeated, winning two Olympic golds and titles at the FIBA Americas tournament in 1999, 2003 and 2007. Team USA did not win a major title (FIBA World Championship and those two) without him from 1999 through 2008.

In 2011, Kidd finally broke through with the Mavericks to win his first NBA championship. He averaged 9.3 points and 7.3 assists a game in the playoffs, playing a key part as Dallas beat the Miami Heat in six games.

His contract with the Mavericks expired after last season, and he finished his career with the New York Knicks last year, averaging 6.0 points, 3.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 76 games.

“Jason’s value to the Knicks and the National Basketball Association cannot be quantified by statistics alone,” Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald said. “Everyone here in New York saw firsthand what a tremendous competitor he is and why Jason is considered to be one of the best point guards, and leaders, the game has ever seen.”

Contributing: The Associated Press

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There’s a lot of video out there of LeBron James playing basketball. A YouTube search for his name comes up with about 954,000 results.

People have watched the reigning NBA MVP play. Those people include the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers include David West. And West definitely has seen LeBron James play.

The Pacers power forward batted away two of James’ passes in the final minute of Indiana’s 97-93 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. It’s reasonable to say the Miami Heat would be holding a 2-0 series lead right now if not for West and the Pacers’ scouting department.

They have James’ number … or at least his passing habits.

The first steal was downright brilliant basketball. James brought the ball up the court and went to the right side of the top of the key. Heat guard Ray Allen set a soft pick, then rolled out along the three-point line. West saw this play coming. As Lance Stephenson, who had been guarding Allen, fronted James, West threw his arms up while heading toward Allen on the switch. His timing was perfect, even if the Pacers didn’t do anything with the possession except waste time before a 24-second violation.

After that violation, James again brought the ball up. This time, he dribbled into the post, then pivoted, looking for a teammate. West instinctively guessed he might be looking for Allen on the wing again, and he guessed right. The ball landed in George Hill’s hands, and he made both free throws to seal the win. The play was one part brilliant scouting, one part luck.

But so much of basketball is just that. The Pacers play defense well because they are so smart, along with having West and Hill and Paul George and Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson, all outstanding one-on-one defenders. And they’ve done their homework on the best player in the world.

But James is just that. He will adjust. He can adjust. There really isn’t anything he can’t do on a basketball court. And the Pacers didn’t exactly limit him. He made play after play, including an absurd crosscourt pass on the final play of the first half that almost no other player in NBA history would have been able to see and then deliver.

James will evolve. He will find ways to beat West and the Pacers. And they will learn from that tape and find ways to stop him. This is going to be an interesting series.

Hibbert is absurdly tall. The 7-2 Pacers center was the tallest starter in the NBA playoffs, but that didn’t matter as much against 7-1 Tyson Chandler and the New York Knicks. Against the Heat, who don’t have a 7-footer on the roster, it’s a big deal. Hibbert had 19 points in the first half and finished with 29 and 10 rebounds. He shot 10-for-15 from the field and 9-for-10 from the line. That’s not bad for a guy whose name is just being learned by some NBA experts.

Chris Bosh at 6-11 can’t match up with him. Chris “Birdman” Andersen at 6-10 can’t match up with him. Joel Anthony at 6-9 can’t match up with him, and who wants him on the floor? So Hibbert owns the paint, going 9-for-11 immediately around the basket.

Who does George remind you of? The comparison that sticks out is some cross between Scottie Pippen and Tracy McGrady, but the Pacers’ lone All-Star isn’t as good as either. Unless he is. The man has gone toe-to-toe with James all series, even earning some respect from his rival. And he’s still really young.

Up next: The Memphis Grizzlies will host their first Western Conference finals game Saturday at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN), trailing 2-0 to the San Antonio Spurs. And the Grizzlies might be considering a lineup change.

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