April 30--REPORTING FROM SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs know how high the stakes are for Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against the Clippers on Thursday night.
San Antonio has a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and can eliminate the Clippers with a win at AT Center, but the defending NBA champions say their mentality is to not think about what could happen if they have to return to Staples Center for a Game 7 on Saturday night.
For the Spurs, the focus is solely on Game 6.
"Every game we approach the same way," Manu Ginobili said after San Antonio's shoot-around Thursday. "We got to know that they are going to come really strong and try to lay everything on the line and play their best game. They are in a win-or-go-home situation, and that's usually what happens. We've just got to take it, play smart and play our best game."
The Spurs know they can turn to their bench and get quality minutes and production. They've gone six deep in some of the previous playoff games.
It's been done sometimes because of the intentional fouls on Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, sometimes to get a lift and sometimes just to keep everybody fresh because of the intensity of the playoffs.
Boris Diaw is one of the reserves who has played big minutes for the Spurs. He's averaged 28:42 in the first five playoff games, fourth-highest on the team.
Diaw is fourth on the Spurs in scoring (10.4) against the Clippers, tied for second in rebounding (7) and is third in assists (3.4).
He admitted that fatigue "is always a factor."
"That's why it's good to be able to count on the bench," Diaw said. "Having a deep team and multiple players playing significant minutes usually helps."
