Spurs vs. Thunder: San Antonio Players Who Must Step Up to Avoid Elimination

It appeared the San Antonio Spurs were going to cruise through another series after the first two games of the Western Conference finals. Since then, however, the Oklahoma City Thunder have taken control and are now just one win away from eliminating the Spurs.

San Antonio is running out of time to win titles with its aging group of core players, so Game 6 could be viewed as the team's last stand.

Let's take a look at three players who must elevate their game for the Spurs to force a deciding Game 7.

Boris Diaw

Diaw was one of the biggest reasons the Spurs were able to jump out to an early lead. He was scoring efficiently, passing the ball around like a guard and taking a lot of pressure off of Tim Duncan.

His performance was making the front office look like geniuses for bringing him in.

He's cooled off over the past three games, though, scoring a total of 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting. That's left a void along the front line, and nobody else has been able to pick up the slack, forcing Gregg Popovich to stick with the Frenchman.

Diaw needs to find a way to make his presence felt on Wednesday night. Whether it's knocking down jumpers or working in the paint to find easy offense, he can't afford to have another down game.

Duncan needs help in the post now more than ever.

Tony Parker

There have been two different versions of Parker in this series. Early on, he was getting a bunch of easy layups and runners, often looking unstoppable in the process. Ever since the Thunder started switching on screens, he's been much less effective.

The biggest problem for the dynamic point guard has been tentativeness. When he comes around the screen and has a taller defender on him, he hasn't been able to make the quick decisions necessary to beat the defense.

Parker should know exactly what to expect heading into Game 6. He must have a clear plan in mind to attack it. The entire offense runs like a well-oiled machine when he's in a rhythm, so the series rests on his shoulders.

Kawhi Leonard

Leonard's offensive production has been inconsistent throughout the series, but that's not surprising from a rookie playing the biggest games of his life. Where the Spurs need him to excel in Game 6 is on the defensive end, which is his calling card.

Depending on the other players on the floor, he'll likely be matched up against either Kevin Durant or James Harden. Both players have been killing the Spurs over the past few games, especially during crunch time when San Antonio was trying to make comebacks.

Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to players like that, who can seemingly score at will. But Leonard must do whatever he can to run them off their spots and force as many contested jumpers as possible.

If they dominate again, the Spurs' run will be over.