Post-shower sweat was still trickling off Tim Duncan’s brow after the Spurs absorbed their third straight loss to the Thunder in the Western Conference finals, a debilitating 108-103 loss at the AT&T Center, but Duncan had a request that surprised everyone: Start Game 6 immediately, please.

“I’m ready to play right now,” the Spurs captain said after scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in just over 33 minutes of court time. “It’s a heartbreaking way to end that game. I’m ready to get ready to get out there and lace them up again and go.”

The Thunder will demand Duncan and his teammates wait until the series changes venues and returns to Oklahoma City, but Duncan’s wish to get back in action immediately summarized the Spurs’ feelings about a game they believed they had positioned themselves to win before the 3-point dagger James Harden dropped on them with 28.8 seconds remaining.

via Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express News