Warriors rally to Zaza Pachulia's defense in wake of Gregg Popovich rant
OAKLAND – So much for the mutual admiration society that was these Western Conference finals.
Just one day after the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs had been so affable, with these coaches on both sides who have so much personal history together effusing praise about one another and their players following suit, it turned downright nasty on Monday. From affable to awkward, such is the power of a Gregg Popovich rant.
Yet after the Spurs coach teed off on Golden State big man Zaza Pachulia for his role in Kawhi Leonard’s left ankle injury in Game 1 that will likely keep him out of Game 2 on Tuesday, even comparing his role in the matter to “manslaughter” when asked about the intent of his third-quarter closeout and bringing up numerous past transgressions, the Warriors took the stick-and-stones approach to Popovich’s fiery view. They supported Pachulia at every turn while also making a conscious attempt to not criticize Popovich, with acting head coach Mike Brown, forward David West and Pachulia himself swearing he’s not a dirty player. And then, in essence, they fought fire with fire.
Brown made a point to highlight a Steph Curry three-point attempt that took place not long after the Leonard injury and, in his estimation, was no different than the Leonard play in which he rolled the ankle after landing on Pachulia’s foot. The Warriors star rose for the shot on the right wing, only to notice on his way down that Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge was standing on his landing pad.
Latest NBA playoff coverage:
Gregg Popovich livid over Zaza Pachulia play that left Kawhi Leonard injured
Steve Kerr's playoff presence an encouraging sign for Warriors
NBA mock draft 1.0: Is Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball the No. 1 pick?
“You know, (Popovich is) just protecting his guys,” said Brown, a former Spurs assistant who spent much of last season with Popovich and his staff in an informal manner. “But obviously, there were a chain of events that happened. Right before that (Leonard play), Kawhi stepped on David Lee’s foot and tweaked his ankle."
Monday's MRI revealed no structural damage to Leonard's ankle, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, but he was still listed as doubtful ahead of Game 2.
The person requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the injury.
But before knowing anything about the severity of Leonard's injury, Brown continued to defend his players.
“And then like at the 7:23 mark, a couple plays (after the Leonard play), Steph shot the ball, and LaMarcus Aldridge went to contest, and he went up underneath Steph and Steph avoided landing on his ankle by falling to the ground. And I even asked two of the three officials, I said, ‘Hey, that’s the same call that you just called on Zaza.’ And both of them told me that the difference was Kawhi landed on Zaza’s foot. Steph avoided landing on LaMarcus’ foot, and that’s why they didn’t call (the foul)…It’s the same play. Zaza’s not a dirty player. LaMarcus is not a dirty player. It’s a tough basketball play. You hate to see anybody get injured in a situation like that, but you go back and watch the film, and they’re both identical.”
West, meanwhile, found himself in the most awkward situation of them all. As part of Popovich’s case against Pachulia, he cited a play from last season in which Pachulia (while with the Dallas Mavericks) elbowed West (while with the Spurs) in the face. Still, West stood by his teammate.
“Just playing hard,” he said of the Leonard play. “(Pachulia is) an aggressive guy. That’s who he is. That’s who he has always been…Just a tough play, man. Tough play.
“(Pop) wants to win. Everybody wants to win, so he’s going to do, (or) say, I guess, whatever. But we’ve just got to focus ahead to play better…It is what it is.”
This is hardly the first time this sort of play has sparked controversy. Yet it’s not often that a player – or in the case of Jalen Rose, a former player – admits they intended to hurt the opponent while contesting a jumper.
The former Indiana Pacers guard did just that in Sept. 2012, saying on a Grantland podcast that it wasn’t an accident when he stuck his foot under the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant in Game 2 of the NBA Finals in 2000. Bryant suffered an ankle injury just nine minutes in that kept him out of Game 3, then returned in Game 4 to lead the Lakers to the title in the series that ended in six games.
"I'm in a unique position to speak on that topic," Rose, now an ESPN analyst, said on a conference call on Monday. "While something doesn't have to be dirty or malicious, it can be flagrant. The problem with the league is it's not called as such.
"You can take the emotion out of it. The bottom line is, it's a play that I am not proud to say I did to Kobe Bryant in the 2000 Finals... With that being said, I think that's how the league should call it and I do think that's what took place on that play."
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick.
