As a result, Ginobili will miss the remaining six games of the regular season, beginning with tonight's game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, and all of the playoffs.

Ginobili had returned to action March 25 in Atlanta after missing 19 games with a stress reaction in the right distal fibula, an injury that had been diagnosed in mid-February. Sunday's game was just his sixth back in the lineup. He averaged 11.6 points in those games.

His playing time was limited to 14 minutes and 17 minutes in his first two games back, but he had played 28, 29 and 36 minutes leading up to Sunday's game in Cleveland. There, he played only 23, sitting out the entire fourth quarter, in part because the Cavaliers had a big lead in a game they ended up winning by 20 points.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had returned Ginobili to the Spurs' starting lineup just one week ago today against the Thunder.

Before Friday's game against the Indiana Pacers, Popovich had declared his intent to keep Ginobili in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season. Popovich said he would bring Roger Mason Jr. off the bench in the role Ginobili had played so well last season that he won the NBA's Sixth Man Award.

Popovich reasoned that starting Ginobili would give him more time on the court with the other members of the Spurs' "Big Three," Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

"I just think Manu coming off the bench has run its course," Popovich said then. "It's time for the three of them to play together. They're our best three players. They've going to make each other better on the court."

Mason is expected to go back into the starting lineup. The team's key free-agent addition last summer, Mason has started 65 games this season, averaging 11.6 points. He has struggled recently, scoring only 26 points in the Spurs' past five games. In two of those games he was scoreless.

Going into Sunday's game, Ginobili had totaled 50 points in three previous games and had begun to show some of the explosiveness to the rim that has characterized his career with the Spurs. After tallying 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes of the victory in Indianapolis, Ginobili had declared that his ankle felt good.

"I'm happy, man," Ginobili had said. "I played 36 minutes for the first time this year, and I'm feeling good. I still don't feel very confident going hard to the rim, but I'm energetic. I'm happy about it."

About 36 hours later, the stiffness belied that postgame enthusiasm.

Ginobili began the season on the injured list after left ankle surgery. He hurt the ankle playing for Argentina in the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The hero of Argentina's 2004 Olympic gold medal triumph, Ginobili had carried Argentina's flag into the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremonies for the 2008 games. He led his homeland to the quarterfinals but reinjured the left ankle he had jammed during the Spurs' 2008 playoff run to the Western Conference finals.

Ginobili returned to San Antonio after the Olympics. Surgery was conducted Sept. 3, and Ginobili missed all of training camp, the preseason and the first 12 games of the regular season.

Ginobili returned to action Nov. 24, scoring 12 points in a victory at Memphis. Slowly, he began returning to the form that had made him an All-Star in 2005.

In late January and early February, he put together a string of games that appeared to show he was back to All-Star form. He averaged 24.3 points in his final six games before the All-Star break, including three games with 30 or more points.

His season high, 32 points, came in the last game before the break, in Toronto, on Feb. 11.

When the Spurs returned from the All-Star break, Ginobili complained of soreness in his right ankle, and the stress reaction was discovered.

Missing Manu

Ginobili has missed more games this season than any other since he joined the Spurs:

2008-09

31* GAMES MISSED

2007-08

9

2006-07

5, Title year

2005-06

16

2004-05

8, Title year

2003-04

5

2002-03

11, Title year

*As of Monday

THE TRAVAILS OF EL CONTUSION

2008-2009

April 6: Stress fracture in right ankle sidelines Ginobili for rest of season.

Feb. 11: Plays against Toronto, but stress reaction - a weakening in a bone - in right ankle sidelines him until March 25.

Aug. 22: Reinjures left ankle in Argentina's loss to U.S. at 2008 Beijing Olympics. Has arthroscopic surgery to repair ligament injury in left heel. Returns Nov. 24 against Memphis.

2007-2008

April 19-May 29: Left ankle hampers Ginobili throughout 2008 playoffs.

April 11-16: Misses four games with left groin injury.

Jan. 21: Bruises nose in game against Charlotte.

Dec. 22: Leaves game against Los Angeles Clippers with strained finger, misses five games because of finger injury. Returns Jan. 6, 2008, also against Clippers.

2006-2007

Nov. 26-Dec. 2: Misses five games with a lower back contusion. Placed on inactive list for final two games of regular season.

2005-06

April 9-11: Misses two games with left calf contusion.

March 18: Misses one game because of contusions of left calf and left quadriceps.

Jan. 22-25: Misses three games because of sprained right ankle.

Dec. 13-25: Misses eight games because of right midfoot sprain.

Dec. 1-3: Misses two games because of bone bruise in right ankle.

2004-05

April 10: Misses one game because of stomach virus.

March 9-18: Misses five games with right groin tightness.

Jan. 17: Misses one game with right quadriceps contusion.

Dec. 30: Misses one game with strained neck.

2003-04

Jan. 5-14: Misses five games with lower back sprain.

2002-2003

Starts season with sprained right ankle (suffered in 2002 World Championships). On injured list from Dec. 5-29, missing 11 games.

Source: NBA, San Antonio Express-News archives; compiled by news researcher Mike Knoop