OAKLAND, Calif. — Every championship series has an X factor. In fact, every
team in every championship series has an X factor. And much of the time,
everyone is so attuned to and wary of their opponents’ X factor, they dissect
and disarm him via scouting, video work and on-court preparation, to the point
that those guys wind up having a lot of the X wrung right out of them.
But what about a Z factor? As in, Zaza Pachulia?
Pachulia, the Golden State Warriors’ big man and least glamorous starter, is
healthy and ready. And woe to the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA fans in general if
he has as great an impact this round as he had in the Western Conference finals
sweep of San Antonio.
The 2017 NBA Finals
“For me, it’s already gone. It’s already history,” Pachulia said after the
Warriors’ workout Wednesday. “I’m not going to think about it because we have
different opponents now. It’s a whole different situation than we had a couple
weeks ago.”
Uh, in the event the long gap between series has blurred the memory, Pachulia
played a huge role in Golden State’s elimination of the Spurs by venturing far
away from the basket in Game 1 to contest a corner 3-pointer by Spurs star Kawhi
Leonard … only to have Leonard land on his foot and aggravate to a
series-ending level an ankle sprain injury.
Life came at Pachulia pretty fast from that point: San Antonio blew its big lead
and lost the opener. Its coach, Gregg Popovich, erupted the next day over what
he considered Pachulia’s dirty play, alleging that the big man intentionally
stepped where Leonard would land to trigger the ankle sprain. And the Spurs,
hobbled by Leonard’s absence, Popovich’s defeatist rhetoric or both, went
belly-up in an anticlimactic four games.
What followed ranged from the ridiculous to the unhinged. One Spurs fans filed a
lawsuit against Pachulia on behalf of San Antonio season ticket holders for what
that single play meant to their team’s fortunes. Heh heh. But others attacked
Pachulia on social media, some in nasty and vulgar verbiage. There were a few
death threats mixed in and, most troubling, hints that his family might be in
line for some retribution over one intentional or unfortunate basketball play.
Pachulia himself bruised his right heel in Game 2 and did not play when the
series shifted to San Antonio. But the venom directed his way, prompting
security to be beefed up at his kids’ school, rattled the 14-year veteran.
Popovich, who could have released some of the tension by calling on Spurs fans
to act responsibly, did not, declining to revisit the incident in any form. So
his comments about Pachulia – “dangerous,” “unsportsmanlike” and “manslaughter”
included – hung in the air.
Wisely, the Warriors center shut down his Instagram account and went dark on
social media for the duration.
“Especially when it comes to the Finals and playoffs. Your team needs you
mentally and physically,” Pachulia said. “Different players react in different
ways. For some it’s motivation. Some, they get dragged down. But because it was
kind of [referring] to the family and stuff, I just tried to ignore it. It got
really annoying. [Social media is] something for summertime.”
In his first season with the Warriors, Pachulia averaged just 18.1 minutes, 6.1
points and 5.9 rebounds. But the team went 58-12 in his 70 starts and his impact
per 100 possessions was strong (117 offensive rating, 101 defensive rating),
factoring in the All-Stars – Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson,
Draymond Green – surrounding him.
Against Cleveland now, in his first Finals, Pachulia will do what he can to
thwart Tristan Thompson’s uncanny ability as an offensive rebounder. He’ll use
his size (6-foot-11, 270 pounds) to clog the middle when he can and try to stay
on the floor as much as possible in games that, at times, will pick up pace
beyond his capabilities.
“We always play with extra possessions ourselves,” Pachulia said of Thompson’s
knack for generating second chances. “It’s one of our strengths throughout the
year.
“They have amazing talent. They’re world champs. They play the right way. They
build the necessary things. But I like our talent in our locker room, honestly.
Total different team than last year. I love our chances.
Pachulia said the two weeks since he last played, and requisite treatment, have
healed his heel. “No problems, no restrictions,” he said. “I’ve been
participating in practices the last couple days. Full speed, full load.”
The challenge for him now might be to not limit himself. If Pachulia hears
Popovich’s comments echoing in his head, if he worries that the NBA’s grand
stage will cast him as a thug or brute, if he lets the Cavaliers or the referees
paint a target on him to where he dials back his physical and aggressive play,
then his is a matchup Cleveland already will have won.
Pachulia refused to hear of that Wednesday.
“That’s all history for me,” he said. “If you want to win, not only physically
but mentally, you’ve got to [be] strong. Besides from taking care of my injury,
the [time between rounds] mentally was also beneficial for me. Let everything go
– all the negativity – and start with a fresh energy.”
Impressions of Pachulia – and an inkling into how much the Cavaliers might dread
facing him or not – were mixed. But none of them, from LeBron James to Kevin
Love to Channing Frye, is eager to have him closing out on their jump shots,
lest landing become precarious.
“He’s fine,” one member of the team’s traveling party said, with a shrug. “He’s
big, he’s slow and he’s clumsy. And he’s lasted [14] years in the league that
way.”
But another Cavs insider said of Pachulia: “Is he a dirty player? It was a dirty
play – and he has a reputation. Don’t bail him out now.”
So Pachulia begins his first trip to the Finals wearing a black hat – or would,
if anyone could find one large enough for his rather enormous head. The referees
might look at him cross-eyed an extra time or two, and the Leonard play is
guaranteed to be hauled out and shown on ABC’s broadcast.
Pachulia again will rely on his Warriors teammates, who had his back after
Popovich’s criticism and the online hectoring he endured. Dispatching the Spurs
quickly was just part of it.
“I had full support from my teammates,” he said. “That’s what I was expecting.
We are family here, definitely. I had no doubt in my mind, starting that night,
getting text messages from my teammates. Everybody [offered] their support.
That’s what made it easier for me to get it over with and just forget about it.”
They’re still there, expecting nothing less than the full Zaza against
Cleveland. Fellow Warriors big man David West smiled and nodded his head.
“We’re good,” West said. “Zaza is gonna be Zaza.”
The Z factor.
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here,
find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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