Gregg Popovich accuses Zaza Pachulia of 'totally unnatural closeout' on Kawhi Leonard
Gregg Popovich accuses Zaza Pachulia of 'totally unnatural closeout' on Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t hold back on his feelings regarding Zaza Pachulia’s closeout on Kawhi Leonard on Sunday that resulted in Leonard reinjuring his left ankle, an injury that will keep him out of Game 2 on Tuesday.
Popovich listed a number of questionable incidents involving the Warriors center and said the play in the Spurs’ Game 1 loss was a “totally unnatural closeout” on Leonard, who underwent an MRI on Monday.
“The play where he took Kawhi down and locked his arm in Dallas – he could have broken his arm,” Popovich said of Pachulia on Monday. “Ask David West, his current teammate, how things went when Zaza was playing with Dallas and he and David got into it. Then think about the history he’s had and what that means to a team what happened last night.
“A totally unnatural closeout that the league has outlawed years ago and pays great attention to it. And Kawhi’s not there. And you want to know how we feel about it. You want to know if that lessens our chances or not.”
The Spurs held a 23-point lead in Sunday’s Game 1 before the third-quarter sequence in which Leonard attempted a corner 3-pointer and came down awkwardly. Pachulia closed out to affect Leonard’s shot, but his foot went under Leonard’s leg, resulting in San Antonio’s best player twisting his ankle.
The Warriors immediately went on an 18-0 run and hung on to a 113-111 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
