Kawhi Leonard says 'Zaza Rule' good for player safety
Kawhi Leonard is in favor of the new "Zaza Rule," which allows referees to cal
l 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 seas
on ended as a result of the reckless play that inspired the rule's nickname (a
nd 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 Play
er of the Year spraining his ankle and missing the remainder of their Western
Conference finals matchup.
Related - Watch: Pachulia undercuts Leonard, forces him from game
"I just think it's good to protect the players from getting hurt," Leonard tol
d reporters Monday. "I mean it happened in the past too, the plays I've seen w
hen 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 fo
rward dismissed.
Related: Popovich rips Zaza for 'totally unnatural closeout' on Kawhi
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 appeare
d to be trying to injure his opponent.
San Antonio was up big when Leonard went down, but Golden State took full adva
ntage of the All-NBA wing's absence, going on an 18-0 run and taking Game 1, 1
13-111, en route to a series sweep.
可愛對於Zaza Rule表達支持
不過還是沒有對那個play做出正面回應
http://0rz.tw/bdPtq