Pachulia: Popovich's rant played part in threats against family
His Warriors may be up 3-0 in their Western Conference finals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, but there's no question the last week has been difficult for starting center Zaza Pachulia.
After injuring All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard in a Game 1 win, Pachulia revealed that his family has been the subject of numerous threats, and believes Gregg Popovich's now infamous rant has played a part in the chaos.
"I don’t blame everything on Pop, but what he said had a lot of influence (and) you had a lot of people where, unfortunately, you can’t control what everybody’s intelligence is," Pachulia told Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. "(Fans) just hear the message, and it’s, 'Ok, Pop said so and now let’s do this.’ It’s just wrong. You’ve got to think, and realize. Threaten me, but don’t threaten my wife or say something about my kids. It’s just wrong."
Related: Did Zaza disable Instagram comments after receiving threats?
While Pachulia still respects Popovich and credits him for sticking up for Leonard, he believes elements of his tirade caused Spurs fans to lash out.
"I’m going to do defend my team, but I’m not going to send a message saying this guy killed (a player), is a murderer or whatever, manslaughter, because people take it differently," Pachulia said. "We live in a society where not everybody has intelligence, or understanding or is thinking of what’s right and what’s wrong. We’re going to move on. Hopefully (the fans) can let it go."
Pachulia has since apologized for the incident, saying he never intended to injure Leonard, despite what many fans in San Antonio may believe.