Zaza Pachulia responds to comments from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

After being called both “dangerous” and “unsportsmanlike” by the San Antonio Spurs head coach , Zaza Pachulia says he respectfully disagrees with Popovich’s assertions.

Following the Golden State Warriors’s practice on Monday, Zaza Pachulia wanted to make it known that he is a clean player following Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals:

"“My approach to this game for 14 years that I’ve been in the league is to play hard and [give] 100 percent of whatever I have. So, I don’t agree with the calls that I’m a dirty player. I’m not a dirty player. I love this game and I’m playing hard. That’s what I was taught since Day 1.”"

In Game 1, Pachulia took an unnecessary step toward Kawhi Leonard as the MVP candidate shot a corner jumper, which forced him to land on Pachulia. This move injured Leonard’s ankle, which forced him to miss the rest of the game.

Gregg Popovich announced that Leonard will also miss Game 2 of the series. This is a devastating blow to the Spurs, who lost a 25-point lead in the first game of the series to the Golden State Warriors.

Leonard had been dealing with an ankle injury before the series began. It forced him to miss the final game of the Spurs series against the Rockets

The NBA said Monday that Pachulia won’t face any disciplinary action for the play.

Kawhi Leonard did not see the play as dirty or purposeful after the game, according to the LA Times. He said ““Did he step under it? Like on purpose? No, he was contesting a shot.”

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At the time of the injury, Leonard had 26 points and eight rebounds and the team was ahead by 23. The Spurs ended up losing the game 113-111. Whether or not it was on purpose, Pachulia’s play gave the Warriors a much better chance of winning the game.