The root of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s unexpected rant

Gregg Popovich was in a rage Monday and came equipped with receipts while making an unusual character assassination of a player whom he believed ruined the San Antonio Spurs' chances of upsetting the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. No amount of anger and no well-crafted argument denouncing Zaza Pachulia could change what was at the root of the rant: Kawhi Leonard's sprained left ankle won't heal in time for him to return for Game 2 on Tuesday and his status for the rest of a series in which the Spurs are a more extreme underdog remains in doubt. Pachulia was collateral damage for Popovich's pain, the easy target of his frustrations after the Warriors' big man slid under the Spurs' best player in the second half of Sunday's Game 1, contributing to an injury that helped San Antonio's 23-point lead evaporate into a 113-111 defeat.