Kawhi Leonard is out for Game 2 and Popovich is mad as hell

Gregg Popovich has always been a treat to listen to with his quotes in interviews, and the Spurs’ head coach’s Monday presser about Kawhi Leonard’s injury status did not disappoint.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has every right to be upset about his star forward Kawhi Leonard getting injured in Game 1, and he wasn’t afraid to share his opinion on the play.

Leonard was forced to exit Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors after landing awkwardly on an already injured ankle shooting a 3. Fans on social media immediately went nuts, as it appeared Golden State’s Zaza Pachulia purposely placed his foot under Leonard’s planting spot, which he was called for a foul for.

The injury forced Leonard out for the rest of the game, and Popovich announced on Monday that the forward would be out for Game 2, as well.

After the game, you had Pachulia denying that he was trying to injure Leonard, and you had Leonard even saying he didn’t think the injury-causing play was on purpose. Either way, Pop wasn’t having any of it on Monday.

“Who gives a damn what [Zaza’s] intent was?” Popovich told reporters. “You still go to jail for manslaughter if you are texting and driving.”

Popovich brought up Pachulia’s past incidents, specifically referencing his time with the Dallas Mavericks. He brought up Pachulia elbowing Patty Mills, a previous incident with Kawhi Leonard, and even an incident with Pachulia’s current teammate David West.

Pop wasn’t happy when asked about if the injury lessens the team’s chances, and went on a rant about Pachulia’s play, and the perception of the series from everyone watching.

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“We’re playing very possibly the best team in the league,” Popovich said. “9.75 people out of 10 think the Warriors will beat the Spurs. We’re up 23 points in the third quarter, against Golden State, and Kawhi goes down like that.”

The Spurs will definitely need Leonard back as soon as possible, especially with point guard Tony Parker out indefinitely as well. The Spurs lost a huge lead as soon as Leonard left Game 1, and their chances definitely slim down the more time he misses from the series.