The Western Conference Finals ended almost immediately after they began. Kawhi Leonard sprained his ankle after an errant closeout by Warriors center Zaza Pachulia and did not return to the series, paving the way for a Warriors sweep.
The incident sparked outrage as many claimed Pachulia’s closeout was dirty. Some maintained that he intended to hurt Leonard who had previously injured the ankle in the second round. Others, like Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, were clear in saying that intent did not matter in such a reckless incident.
All sides of the issue were fair and Pachulia was quick in demonstrating his sympathy with Leonard despite being adamant that he is not a dirty player.
Off the court, however, the situation was more serious as Pachulia’s family had to endure threats made on social media. According to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports, Pachulia even felt the need to have security at his children’s school.
“I don’t blame everything on Pop, but what he said had a lot of influence (and) you had a lot of people where, unfortunately, you can’t control what everybody’s intelligence is,” Pachulia, who has an 8-year-old son, a 7-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter with his wife, told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday. “(Fans) just hear the message, and it’s, ‘OK, Pop said so and now let’s do this.’ It’s just wrong. You’ve got to think, and realize. Threaten me, but don’t threaten my wife or say something about my kids. It’s just wrong.
Blaming it on Pop is not the way to go (there were claims of foul play far before Popovich said anything) but Pachulia is spot on about everything else. While the situation was unfortunate for Leonard and it’s fair to wonder if Zaza’s action was premeditated or reckless, bringing his family into the fold is many steps too far. That’s the worst of sports fans coming out.
