🏀 Why Everyone Hates Zaza Pachulia: The Closeout That Changed a Series
Zaza Pachulia had a solid but unremarkable 16-year NBA career. He was a competent backup center who set good screens, played physical defense, and did the unglamorous work that winning teams need. Then, in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals, he committed a single play so controversial that it redefined his entire legacy. One closeout turned Zaza Pachulia from a respected journeyman into one of the most hated players in basketball history.
The Villain Resume
The play in question occurred on May 14, 2017. Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs' MVP candidate, pulled up for a mid-range jumper. Pachulia contested the shot and then took a long step forward, placing his foot directly under Leonard's landing zone. Kawhi came down awkwardly on Pachulia's foot, aggravating an already sore ankle. He left the game and never returned in the series. The Warriors swept the remaining three games.
The basketball world erupted. Spurs fans were apoplectic, arguing that Pachulia had deliberately undercut their best player. Gregg Popovich called it a "dangerous, dirty play" and suggested it was intentional. National media dissected the footage frame by frame, and the consensus was damning: Pachulia's extra step had no defensive purpose and appeared designed to injure.
Pachulia denied any intent, claiming he was simply trying to contest the shot. But his history worked against him. He had previously undercut Kawhi in the regular season and had a reputation for physical, borderline-reckless play throughout his career. The benefit of the doubt he might have received evaporated quickly.
The larger controversy was about what the injury cost the NBA. Many analysts believed the Spurs were the only team that could challenge the Warriors that season. Leonard was playing at an MVP level, and San Antonio was winning Game 1 by 23 points when the injury occurred. Pachulia's closeout potentially changed the outcome of the entire postseason — and we will never know what might have been.
The Defense
Pachulia was a 16-year NBA veteran who had never been suspended for dirty play. Closeout injuries happen in basketball, and not every one is intentional. The play, while reckless, occurred in real time at game speed, and attributing malicious intent is inherently speculative. Pachulia's teammates and coaches defended him, and the NBA did not penalize him beyond the game.
The Verdict
Zaza Pachulia's place in the Hall of Villains rests almost entirely on one play. But that play was so consequential, so suspicious, and so damaging that it overshadows everything else in his career. Whether or not the closeout was intentional, it removed the best player from the most important series of the year and potentially altered NBA history. In the court of public opinion, Zaza was convicted the moment Kawhi hit the floor. The appeal was denied years ago.
