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Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s honest Game 7 mindset with ‘back against the wall’
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- Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s honest Game 7 mindset with ‘back against the wall’
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama's honest Game 7 mindset with 'back against the wall' appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Before this postseason run started, most of the San Antonio Spurs rotational players had never played in the NBA playoffs, much less a Game 7. But, here they are, facing the definitive final contest of the series — against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder — with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line .
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"(It) just feels like it raises all the little mistakes that we [commit] that are human nature, whether it's in the regular season or previous games," Spurs generational talent Victor Wembanyama said ahead of the biggest game of his blossoming career .
"We've just got to fight that all the time. When your back's against the wall it feels like it's the best opportunity to do that."
Spurs Coach Mitch Johnson didn't hesitate when asked about how he's preparing his team for a game of this magnitude .
"Like we have all year. I know there will be a lot of added attention, a lot of eyes watching. It'll be a hostile environment. But we've been saying this for a long time: we've had a lot of firsts. This one will be a little bit more important or higher stakes than all the others. That's the goal, is you keep playing and the season gets longer."
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"Biggest thing is being desperate," rookie guard Dylan Harper added. "I think we're both (teams) going to be like that. But just talking for us, being desperate looks different in a lot of ways and we've just got to go out there with the mentality of we've got to hit first, you know? Regardless of what's going on in the game, we can't get too high, can't get too low, just got to be steady throughout the whole way."
Spurs embrace the mystique of a Game 7
Though in his first year in the league, Harper grew up in a basketball family. His father is former NBA standout Ron Harper. His mother, Maria, is a basketball coach. Though he has to play in a game seven, the youngest Harper is familiar with its aura.
"Legendary. I think there's been a lot of legendary game sevens and I feel like we're the group that we want to be a part of that. We want to be a part of that history of game sevens. So, we're going to go out there swinging. No matter what, we're going to leave it all out on the table," Dylan Harper shared.
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"(This) was do or die and I think a lot of fans are going to be happy," Johnson said following the Spurs 118-91 victory in Game 6 .
"They say that's the best line in sports. So, we'll be prepared," Johnson continued. "(We'll) get organized and get ready to go into a hostile environment against the defending champs in the Western Conference Finals, versus a team that's done it multiple times and knows exactly what it takes. I would expect to get their best punch. We're going to go in with our eyes wide open and expecting nothing less."
The basketball world agrees in anticipation of a winner-take-all battle between two 62-plus win squads that could rule the NBA for years to come.
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