OAKLAND, CA- Following a play in Sunday's Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, in which Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia pulled out a knife and stabbed San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard in the stomach, many people are asking if Pachulia meant to harm Leonard.
"I think [Pachulia] knew what he was doing," said Oklahoma City resident and longtime basketball fan Mark Kellery, adding that even if Pachulia unknowingly brought the knife to the stadium, took the knife out of his pocket, and stashed it in his sock while getting dressed for the game, he should have been "more aware" of his actions during the game.
"When you're out there on the court, you have to have an awareness of your actions and their ramifications, like taking a 7-inch Ginsu blade out of your sock, running toward a Spurs player, and stabbing it in his midsection as he leapt into the air for a jump shot," Kellery said. "You have to know that little actions like that can cause a lot of damage."
Many across the country are echoing Kellery's sentiments.
"This guy is just a reckless, airheaded individual," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Monday on his show, "First Take." "He may not have meant to injure Leonard in any way, but what did he expect to happen after he pulled that knife out and subsequently stabbed the man three times as he jumped into the air, and four more times after Leonard slumped to the ground in pain? Guys have to be more careful and more aware of their actions out on the court."
Leonard, however, defended Pachulia's actions, calling the stabbing an "honest mistake." "I don't think he meant to harm me," Leonard said. "He was just going all out on the play. I would've done the same thing."
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