In retrospect of the Golden State Warriors sweep through the NBA Western Conference Finals, there are fans in San Antonio who will never forget how Kawhi Leonard was put out of the series by an injury he sustained when he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot while attempting a 3-point shot in the 3rd quarter of the series opener. The Spurs would blow a 25-point lead with their star player missing from action, and lose a nail-biter before being blown out in the three contests that followed. Many believe it was Zaza's intention to injure Leonard, and some are apparently so distraught about the situation, they've sent death threats to the Warrior's big man. To Zaza's determination, the safety of his family has been put at risk, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has played no small part in exacerbating the threat.

“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,” Zaza told USA TODAY Sports over the weekend. “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."

While there had been speculation already going around that Zaza's play was dirty, Popovich validated such concerns when during a post-practice rant the following day he said the move was "not what anybody does to anybody else. And that particular individual has a history of that type of action." Zaza says that he now worries for his two sons, his daughter and his wife, who may potentially come across a fanatic who seeks to do them harm out of retribution. The place coach Pop went with his statement, was not terrain Zaza could ever see himself venturing towards, he said. "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," said Zaza. "We live in a society where not everybody has intelligence, or understanding or is thinking of what’s right and what’s wrong."

Source: sportingnews.com