The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers played another wildly entertaining, tightly contested game on Thursday, but you wouldn't know it from Gregg Popovich's postgame comments. The Spurs head coach was not impressed with his team's effort in the 102-96 loss in Game 6 at the AT&T Center.
"We should be embarrassed with the way we came out in a close-out game, in every regard," Popovich told reporters, via the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald. "We were just soft. I don't know how we stayed in the game to be honest with you."
San Antonio was in it despite Chris Paul's 19 points and 15 assists, despite Blake Griffin's 26-12-6 line. Kawhi Leonard had a rough night offensively, and the Spurs couldn't get much done in transition, but they must have done something right.
In reality, San Antonio needn't be embarrassed at all. It did squander a double-digit first-half lead, but if Leonard had made a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, the game would have been tied and anything could have happened.
The Spurs weren't quite at their best, though, and that's what Popovich expects in a close-out situation. It's also what they'll likely need to survive Saturday's Game 7 at the Staples Center.
