Kawhi Leonard says 'Zaza Rule' good for player safety
Kawhi Leonard is in favor of the new "Zaza Rule," which allows referees to call flagrant or technical fouls on defenders who close on jump shooters without giving them room to land safely.
That should come as little surprise, as the San Antonio Spurs superstar's season ended as a result of the reckless play that inspired the rule's nickname (and perhaps the rule itself).
Golden State Warriors big man Zaza Pachulia slid his foot under Leonard's foot as he was falling away on a 3-pointer, which led to the former Defensive Player of the Year spraining his ankle and missing the remainder of their Western Conference finals matchup.
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"I just think it's good to protect the players from getting hurt," Leonard told reporters Monday. "I mean it happened in the past too, the plays I've seen when I wasn't in the NBA. So I think it's a good rule just for the defender to be cautious."
A reporter then asked him if he thinks it was a dirty play, which the stoic forward dismissed.
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Under the new regulations, officials can review the play after calling a foul and upgrade it to a flagrant or tech depending on whether the defender appeared to be trying to injure his opponent.
San Antonio was up big when Leonard went down, but Golden State took full advantage of the All-NBA wing's absence, going on an 18-0 run and taking Game 1, 113-111, en route to a series sweep.