SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ipinahayag ni Spurs coach Gregg Popovich na hindi makalalaro si Kawhi Leonard sa Game 2 ng Western Conference finals bunsod ng injury sa kaliwang paa na natamo niya sa insidente na itinuturin ni coach Gregg Popovic na “dangerous” at “unsportsmanlike” para kay Golden State center Zaza Pachulia.
Sumailalim sa MRI si Leonard nitong Linggo at ayon kay Popovich wala siyang ibibigay na takdang araw sa kanyang pagbabalik-aksiyon.
“We’ll see what the MRI says, but obviously he won’t play tomorrow,” sambit ni Popovich.
Hindi na nakalaro ang All-Star forward mula ang dalhin sa locker room sa third period ng Game 1 nitong Linggo nang muling mapinsala ang dati nang na-sprained na kaliwang paa matapos na supalpalin ni Zaza Pachulia.
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Ikinagalit ni Popovich ang kaganapan na naging dahilan sa pagguho ng Spurs tungo sa 113-111 kabiguan sa Warriors.
“A two-step, lead-with-your-foot closeout is not appropriate,” pahayag ni Popovich. “It’s dangerous, it’s unsportsmanlike. It’s just not what anybody does to anybody else. And this particular individual has a history with that kind of action.”
Iginiit ni Pachulia na wala siyang masamang intensyon na saktan si Leonard matapos pigilan ito sa pagiskor sa jumper.
“This is the game of basketball, a lot of crazy stuff happens on the court, unfortunately,” aniya. “It happened to me as well. When you play this kind of physical game, intense game, things happen. My approach to this game for the 14 years I’ve been in this league is to play hard and give 100 percent of whatever I have. I don’t agree with the calls that I’m a dirty player. I’m not a dirty player. I just love this game and I’m playing hard. That’s how I was taught since Day 1, honestly.”
