Of course, no one wants to talk about this since no one got hurt. But, isn't this the same thing yet worse? One game after Zaza Pachulia's close out play on Kawhi Leonard that injured Leonards ankle, Lamarcus Aldridge pulled the exact same move.
Lamarcus Aldridge was contesting Kevin Durant's 3-point shot when he took another baby step after KD went up to shoot leaving KD to land right on top of his foot. Problem here is Aldridge was not in motion and the extra step was not continuous motion pulling him forward.
If you watch, this play seems to be way more intentional than Zaza Pachulia play that injured Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. After Kawhi went out, twitter and the entire sports world went into a panic calling Zaza a dirty player.
Yesterday, Popovich eviscerated Pachulia in a media session for an “unnatural closeout” that he saw as a dirty play.
Does this play look worse to you? Did Lamarcus Aldridge intentionally attempt to injure KD as payback? Watch below and let know what you think.
Photo Credit: Video