San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich didn't mince words Monday. His Spurs blew a 25 point lead at Golden State Sunday, losing game one of the Western Conference Finals 113-111. The key moment of the game came early in the third quarter. With the Spurs up 23, star forward Kawhi Leonard launched a shot from the corner. Warriors big man Zaza Pachulia closed out on the shot and his foot was in Leonard's landing space. The Spurs star came down on Pachulia's foot and twisted his ankle. It was the same ankle Leonard injured in the Western Conference semi-finals against Houston that forced him to miss game six. Without Leonard, Golden State outscored the Spurs 58-33 the rest of the way to pull out the victory. If you haven't seen the play, here it is.
After the game, Leonard said he did not believe there was any intent behind Pachulia's play. Popovich Monday also indicated that there may have been no intent, but said that doesn't matter.
"Who gives a damn about what his intent was," Popovich said. "You ever hear of manslaughter? You still go to jail if you're texting and you kill somebody. You may not have intended to do that....All I care about is what happened and the history there exacerbates the whole situation and it makes me very, very angry."
When Popovich mentions "history," he's referring to a series of plays Pachulia has made against the Spurs that he believes crossed the line. Here's a look at some of those plays, plus Popovich's full four minute discussion on the Pachulia play.