Duncan happy about Game 4 challenge

Of the eight straight postseason wins so far for San Antonio, only two have been by less than 10 points. Sunday night's Western Conference semifinals clincher over the Los Angeles Clippers was by far the closest call.

Even though the Spurs were down by 24 points the day before, they took the lead in the third quarter and won comfortably. Game 4 went down to the final buzzer, with San Antonio squeezing by with a 102-99 triumph.

As much as the Spurs would take eight more blowouts, having to play out the full 48 minutes is seen as a positive. Especially since they won.

"It was great to have a close game like this," Tim Duncan said. "It's good for us. It's good experience for us. Good experience for our young guys. We've been through a lot of battles, but it's great to have this team in this situation."

The Clippers led with 2 1/2 minutes remaining and were down only one point with 52 seconds left. San Antonio, though, executed like the better team down the stretch to finish the series.

"Just perseverance. We just stuck with it," Duncan said. "They played a really great game throughout. They made some shots, made some plays and we stuck with it. We kept moving the ball and believed in what we were doing."

The Spurs now await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Los Angeles Lakers series in the Western Conference finals. The Thunder's lead is 3-1, with a closeout possible Monday night in Oklahoma City.