San Antonio can’t close out Clippers

It is no longer about an X or an O, or some sort of strategic maneuver.

It’s about the San Antonio Spurs playing with purpose and focus and energy.

These are the defending NBA champions, after all, and they are supposed to know what it takes to win, to take care of business, to dig down like few others can.

But the Spurs showed they were fallible in Game 6.

Their coach raked them over the Western Conference playoffs coals Thursday night, calling the Spurs “soft” and saying he was “embarrassed” by their play.

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich was in a sour mood after the Spurs missed out on the opportunity to put the Clippers out of these first-round playoffs, blowing a 3-2 lead that is now tied 3-3 in the best-of-seven series.

Popovich wasn’t happy with his team’s poor execution and inability to run the offense.

Sure, Kawhi Leonard had a bad night, shooting three-for-15 from the field for 12 points.

Tim Duncan wasn’t his spry self, scoring just 12 points.

The Spurs were not driven and that’s what irked Popovich so much.

“You try to do the right thing,” Boris Diaw said. “It’s just sometime you’re always like a step behind. And you try to focus in, of course. We’re not doing it on purpose. You’re always trying to win the game. You’re always trying to play as hard as you can. But sometime the energy is just not there.”

The Spurs better find it for Game 7 Saturday night at Staples Center or they will be going home for the summer.