Sacrifice has become synonymous with the San Antonio Spurs' success stories, its relevance not so much ubiquitous as commonplace, an assumed part of how they play and approach the future.
Most of the time, this everyday sacrifice refers to individual touches, and status, demanding players understand and embrace their part in a collective project that will always be bigger than any one name.
Sometimes, it pertains to a financial concession that has players accepting below-market contracts for the sake of roster flexibility.
During the upcoming offseason, if San Antonio wishes to register as a major free-agency player, this long-held belief in community will have to generate the boldest sacrifices yet—none more imperative than the potentially unfathomable pay cuts Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili must accept.