Clippers feeling confident heading into Game 7 against Spurs (VIDEO)
Doc Rivers has been trying his best to convince doubters that his Clippers have the moxie, confidence and toughness to beat the Spurs.
Facing elimination Thursday after losing Game 5 at home, the Clippers went to San Antonio and won.
They have the best possible scenario, a Game 7 at Staples Center -- TV coverage begins Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Prime Ticket. Beat the defending champion Spurs and move on to face Houston in the Western Conference semifinals.
Asked if he learned anything new about his team, Rivers said:
"No, I didn't walk in the locker room and say I was shocked or surprised. I had confidence, and I'm sure the other side did too. I went in the locker room and I was thinking, honestly, about the next game and getting ready. I don't know if it showed me much. Probably, it showed a lot of other people stuff outside the locker room."
.@iambigbaby11 questionable for Game 7 (Sat., 4:30p, #PrimeTicket) of #CLIPPERSvSPURS http://t.co/WdGfx2Em6z #NBA pic.twitter.com/YlyqSQiR4W
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) May 1, 2015
It showed the Clippers are survivors. They rebounded from that debacle of a blowout in San Antonio in Game 3, then won Game 4 in the same building. They weathered a storm of mistakes in Game 5 at home, used a short memory and, with their season hanging on that game, won in San Antonio. Again.
Chris Paul liked the vibe of the team before the game. The Clippers were desperate, but they didn't play like that.
The stars were confident and played well. And Rivers likes their collective mindset heading into Game 7. Last year, the Clippers won Game 7 against Golden State in the first round of the playoffs. Outside the court, the Clippers were caught up in a firestorm of craziness -which Rivers continually referred to as clutter - with former owner Donald Sterling's scandal.
This season, there are little offcourt distractions.
It's all about the emotion, excitement and pressure of a Game 7.
"Its good to be excited," Rivers said. "It's good to have emotion, but that can be draining. You can do that as a collective group. Each player has a point of no return ... You try to just monitor each guy. That's more of an individual thing and collective effort."
On Friday, Clippers players received treatment, if needed, at the team's practice facility in Playa Vista, but there was no practice or film session.
Glen "Big Baby" Davis sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and is questionable for Game 7 but Rivers said he'll know more Saturday before the game. Without him, the Clippers would have precious little depth at center and would likely go with a smaller lineup with Jordan out. And the Spurs would likely ramp up the hack-a-DJ strategy. Rivers is prepared for that.
The Clippers earned the 3 seed for the playoffs and could've buckled under the unfortunate draw of the matchup against the Spurs, who earned the 6 seed. It's been the best -- and toughest -- series. Memphis, Houston and Golden State won their first-round series by a combined 12-2.
Asked about Game 7 between Boston and Chicago when Rivers coached the Celtics, Rivers said: "That was a heckuva series, and we had a key guy out.
Kevin Garnett didn't play in that series. This series, people are relatively healthy. I think you're getting the best of both in this series."
And a confident Clippers team with homecourt advantage in Game 7.
