Last year during the playoffs, Zaza Pachulia got called out by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after the Warriors center stepped under Kawhi Leonard and injuring the Spurs star.
Two step, lead with your foot closeout, is not appropriate. It’s dangerous, it’s unsportsmanlike, it’s just not what anybody does to anybody else.
This particular individual has a history of that kind of action. You can go back and look at Dallas games for elbowing Patty Mills. The play where he took Kawhi down and locked his arm in Dallas, and could’ve broken his arm. Ask David West, his current teammate, how things went when Zaza was playing for Dallas, and he and David got into it.
And then think about the history he’s had, and what that means to a team, when it happens last night. Totally unnatural closeout that the league has outlawed years ago and pays great attention to, and Kawhi’s not there.
Pachulia is now caught in other storm of controversy when he appeared to throw himself at Russell Westbrook’s legs on purpose during tonight’s Thunder-Warriors game.
Zaza just fell hard on Russell Westbrook's legs on purpose… pic.twitter.com/BwXaCbFZgD
— Justin Jett (@JustinJett_) February 25, 2018
The league is going to have to do something about Pachulia because he’s been involved in too many questionable incidents like this.