The second time around was the sweetest for Manu Ginobili, who exorcised the ghosts of last year's haunting NBA Finals performance on Sunday when his San Antonio Spurs de-throned the reigning world champion Miami Heat to win his fourth NBA championship.

Ginobili, arguably the most decorated Argentine basketball player in his country's history, came through big time for the Spurs under the pressure of a highly anticipated Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals Sunday, torching Miami from downtown with his signature cool-as-ice shooting touch, hitting 3-for-6 from the three point line and shooting 6-for-11 for 19 points to go with 4 assists and 4 rebounds.

In the Finals last year, Ginobili came under intense scrutiny for his offensive struggles, averaging only 11.6 points and shooting a mediocre -- for Ginobili's worldly reputation -- 43.3 percent from the field, while turning the ball over a combined 12 times in Games 6 and 7, which helped the Heat steal both games, and a chance at a fifth title, from San Antonio. Over the course of the five-game Finals, Ginobili, inspired and eager to banish the ghosts of Finals past, played his part perfectly for San Antonio's "Big Three", scoring 14.4 points per game while shooting a deadly 50.0 percent from the field, including a dangerously effective 41.7 percent from the three-point line to go with 4.4 assists to keep the well-oiled and dangerous Spurs offense running.

While Game 5 was one of the finest hours of the three-time All-Star's stellar 11-year career in the NBA, it's hardly the first time that Ginobili has delivered in a playoff pressure situation. And before that, there have been other hoops stars of Latin American heritage that have shined on basketball's biggest stage. Latin Post takes a special look at some of the great past performances from Hispanic hoops stars in the NBA Playoffs:

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers

The seven-foot Spaniard helped the Los Angeles Lakers turn their fortunes around when he was traded to the team during the 2007-08 season, helping the Lakers reach three straight NBA Finals and earn two straight world titles. During the Lakers' 2010 title run, Los Angeles faced a talented, up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder team that challenged them during a six-game first round series. In a hotly contested Game 6, which went down to the last seconds, Gasol, who was having a miserable 4-for-11, 9-point shooting night, turned it into a memorable moment when he tipped in Kobe Bryant's errant jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining to give the Lakers the lead and a 95-94 win that sent them to the semifinals, and onwards to another title.

Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs

In one of the most anticipated rematches in NBA Finals history, the Spurs needed to set the tone against the defending champion Miami Heat. And the 29-year-old Brazilian-born Splitter responded, turning in his finest performance of the Finals in Game 1, frustrating the Heat with his physical defense and effective 5-of-6 shooting, nailing 14 points with four rebounds and two blocked shots. His stifling defense helped the Spurs ice the Heat in five games for the franchise's fifth NBA title, while earning Splitter a place in history as the first-ever Brazilian-born NBA player to win an NBA championship.

J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks

Latin American players seem to be the Heat's kryptonite in the Finals. The Puerto Rican-born Barea was having a rather quiet 2011 NBA Finals for the first four games of the series. Then came Games 5 and 6. With the series tied at 2-apiece, Barea came out of nowhere to torch the Heat for 17 points on 4-of-5 three point shooting in Game 5, and rode that wave of momentum in Game 6 when he hit 7-of-12 from the field for 15 points and 5 assists, helping the unlikely Dallas Mavericks topple the heavily-favored, LeBron James-led Heat -- playing in the first year of the "Big Three" era in Miami -- for Dallas' first NBA world title.

Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies got to their first-ever Western Conference Finals last season thanks in part to the bruising Spaniad center and brother of Pau. Marc helped get Memphis there thanks to his torrid play in the West semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds for the series. His double-double Game 4 of 23 points and 11 rebounds helped the Grizzlies outlast the Thunder 103-97 before the Grizzlies took Game 5 and the series.

Nene, Washington Wizards

The towering 6'11", 250-pound Brazilian power forward has had a fine career in the NBA, and one of the sweetest moments had to be in the first round of this year's NBA playoffs, when he helped a young Wizards team dominate the veteran Chicago Bulls in five games. In the last game of the series, Game 5, Nene delivered with a 20-point, 7-rebound night off 10-of-17 shooting to seal the deal and help the Wizards reach the semifinals. The Wizards' future seems bright, and with the veteran Nene shoring up the front court, they may only get better from here.