Ginobili's dominant performance came as a surprise, and he kept it up for the entire half.
He scored 19 points and dished out 5 assists in the first half, almost single-handedly carrying the Spurs on his shoulders.
Thanks to his outstanding play, the Spurs were still locked in a battle with the Pelicans at 53-60 by half-time.
It was the smallest half-time margin of the series so far.
During the half-time break, fans poured out their emotions on social media.
"The Spurs have had such a hard season, but Ginobili's performance this half was truly moving. This is the Spurs team I fell in love with!"
"Ginobili looked at Tang across from him. There was once a time when Tang was supposed to be his successor, but fate always has a way of playing tricks."
"This really is fate. Holt ruined the Spurs with his own hands. Otherwise, Tang and Leonard might have already won at least Five consecutive championships!"
"I hope the Spurs can win one game. Even if they lose, I hope they can go out with dignity! And I hope Ginobili gets a dignified farewell too!"
The fans' emotions and hopes were fulfilled when play resumed in the third quarter.
The Spurs had already played well enough to be encouraging just by keeping things close in the first half.
Although fans had been emotional on social media, not many believed the Spurs could keep playing like this in the second half.
After all, they had only stayed competitive in the first half because of Ginobili's extraordinary performance.
But Aldridge found his touch in the third quarter, while Ginobili's shooting remained hot.
By the end of three quarters, the Spurs were still locked in a battle with the Pelicans at 81-88!
That performance not only thrilled Spurs