Kawhi Leonard didn't think Zaza Pachulia tried to hurt him on purpose

By Kerouac Smith
Published

The San Antonio Spurs limped away with a heartbreaking loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, in large part due to the loss of franchise cornerstone Kawhi Leonard in the third quarter.

The Spurs were up by 23 when Leonard went to the locker room with an ankle injury after he landed awkwardly on Zaza Pachulia's foot on a contested jumper.

Things went downhill in a hurry for the Spurs from there. The Warriors went on an 18-0 run to close the gap and, with no Leonard on the floor to stop them, rallied to pull out the 113-111 win.

Was it dirty? Watch the video above and decide for yourself.

Leonard doesn't think so, though.

"Did he step under it? Like, on purpose? No. He was contesting the shot. The shot clock was coming down. I'll have to see the play," Leonard told reporters after the game.

And while the Warriors were rallying, Twitter was letting Pachulia have it over the play that injured Leonard.

https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/863865685797085184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2F2017%2F05%2F14%2Fzaza-pachulia-dirty-play-kawhi-leonard-ankle-injury-video-twitter

https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/863866633642688512

https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/863879563029356544

https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/863936318115532800

https://twitter.com/royceyoung/status/863864452520841216

https://twitter.com/Stacey21King/status/863881417171886080

 

Though Leonard says he thought it was fair game, he is due for an MRI today, and San Antonio fans are probably going to be mad at Pachulia regardless.