When it comes to the 2005 NBA playoffs, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has displayed a deeper understanding of drama than Turner Network Television.

Artistically concaving his body as if absorbing a blow to the chest on defense, it seems he is being pushed around the court.

Offensively, he is a freight train plowing into defensive players, yet he sends himself flying through the air like a rag doll.

Be it flopping, diving or just plain irritating, Ginobili draws the foul call two-thirds of the time.

It is painful to watch for anyone outside of the Spurs’ inner circle, but the fact is that flopping truly is an art form. Just ask Greg Buckner, as he disgraced the Argentinean’s spicy sambo in what mirrored an intoxicated tango of an attempt at a flop. It was worth a try, but Buckner just doesn’t have the skills needed to make a flop appear authentic.

It takes balance, body contortions and hustle to completely pull the wool over the referee’s eyes. A head of rigorously conditioned, shiny jet black hair is a fourth intangible that can be thrown in for extra deception.

Ginobili’s antics are ‘stealing from the cookie jar’ sensational as he tricks the referees into making an ill-advised whistle blow.

Watching his arms flap up in frustration and his eyes roll in disbelief on a non-call, it appears as if Ginobili forgot he was acting in the first place.

But nobody should fault him for continuing the dramatics when he is drawing fouls for his team.

Players take advantage of traveling not being called nearly enough, although it occurs nightly, so why would he even consider lightening up on his sneaky style when he isn’t reprimanded?

It worked handily in one situation in the Spurs 4-1 series win against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs.

In the opening moments of overtime in game four, Tim Duncan was whistled with a rare offensive foul.

The following play, Ginobili reversed the Spurs’ fortunes by tossing himself to the floor as Andre Miller tried to create space to receive an inbound pass.

Ginobili drew the offensive foul on Miller and from that point on Robert Horry and Tony Parker put the Nuggets away for good.

By no means did the Nuggets lose a game due to Ginobili’s frolicking. It was the execution and experience of the Spurs, especially Ginobili, that wouldn’t let Denver back into the series.

He is not a washed up punk, substituting his on-the-run improv for a lack of skill.

In five games against the Nuggets he sliced to the basket at will, ran the pick and roll to perfection with Duncan and shot better than 45 percent from both the field and beyond the arc.

Even more important is that Ginobili is the best team player. He was removed from the starting lineup after game one against Denver and was asked to come off the bench the rest of the series.

It worked out as planned as the Spurs had energy off the bench, but I don’t think any other 2005 NBA All-Star would have handled the situation with such grace and understanding.

Oh yeah, he also holds a Gold Medal from his play with team Argentina in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

Yet many, including Nuggets Head Coach George Carl, think Ginobili’s playing with a reckless abandon and slamming into bodies makes the game difficult to officiate.

Sure it is easy to hate on Ginobili’s South American flair, and he is out of control at times. Yet referees and the NBA are aiding and abetting his every move by not stopping his antics.

This is not the case in soccer, where deceiving a referee does not draw nearly as much attention because when caught, FIFA, the world’s governing body for soccer, is cracking down on players accordingly.

Grabbing your head when you are cleated in the ankle and any other form of trickery can result in a fine and a yellow card, which is a warning. Two yellow cards result in a red card and an ejection from the match.

Brazil’s Rivaldo was fined $7,000 for pretending to have been injured in the head when he was actually hit in the thigh with the ball during the 2002 World Cup.

Hakan Unsal of Turkey was sent off the field and his team lost the match 2-1.

If it is a growing problem in the NBA, there should be strict consequences for a player who is caught flopping.

Placing a technical foul on the flopper would be a quick way to put an end to it. Adding a fine on top of that would deter it even more.

But remember that when Ginobili captures a second NBA title this June, he did it with the part of his game that isn’t fixed.