National Basketball Association

Gregg Popovich rips Spurs for playing 'soft'

Published May. 1, 2015 9:40 a.m. ET

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The Spurs failed to finish off the Clippers on Thursday night, and as a result the two teams will travel to Los Angeles for Game 7 on Saturday. After San Antonio’s 102-96 loss at home, head coach Gregg Popovich ripped the defending champs and said they should be "embarrassed."

"We lost because the Clippers were determined, physical, focused, played harder than we did," Popovich said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. "We were soft with loose balls. We were soft. We'd get a rebound and they'd knock it out of our hands.

"[We had a] hard time getting open. Their physicality in that regard was great. We were just soft. It hurt us. I don't know how we stayed in the game, to be honest with you. It was very disappointing to see the group approach."

By losing their last two home games to LA, the Spurs continue to give the Clippers hope. They shot just 43.4 percent from the field on Thursday, and Popovich was clearly irritated by the bad shots and failed scoring opportunities.

"Our execution at the offensive end was really poor," he said. "No excuse for it. Just poor. We should be embarrassed the way we came out for a close-out game in every regard."

Without reserve forward Marco Belinelli hitting seven three-pointers, the Clippers would have cruised to an easy victory. They also could have won Game 5 had it not been for a controversial call in the fourth quarter and this boneheaded play from Austin Rivers.

If any team can handle the pressure that goes along with playing Game 7 on the road, it's Popovich’s team. That said, Clippers fans feel their team is long overdue for a playoff run, and the environment should be electric. The Spurs let a big opportunity slip away in Game 6.

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