Cue the pandemonium.
MORE: Spurs' Kawhi Leonard leaves Game 1 with turned ankle
The Warriors erased a 20-point halftime deficit to topple the Spurs 113-111 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals thanks to a controversial play in the third quarter.
San Antonio was cruising, much like it had been at the end of the Rockets series, before Warriors center Zaza Pachulia put his foot under Kawhi Leonard's left ankle following a jump shot. Leonard came down straight on Pachulia and hobbled to the locker room.
The Spurs ruled him out for the remainder of the game and Golden State immediately went on an 18-0 run after Leonard left. The Spurs were understandably shell-shocked, and took a while to get back into the flow of the game.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 40 points and seven rebounds.
Not to take anything away from his performance, but Golden State should not have won this game, at least not the way it did.
Leonard had already scored 26 points with eight rebounds in just 24 minutes of action before leaving in agony midway through the third quarter. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 28 points and eight rebounds, but San Antonio was overmatched without its MVP candidate.
This is the play that forced Leonard from the game. Many felt it was dirty. You be the judge:
Here is the play where ZaZa Pachulia hurts Kawhi Leonard's ankle. You be the judge to determine if it was dirty or not. #SASvsGSW pic.twitter.com/AWaHgpKVmB
— Dylan (@DylansFreshTake) May 14, 2017
Tuesday's game to watch:
Game 7: Wizards at Celtics, 10:00am — The all-important Game 7 will earn one of these teams a chance to dethrone the Cavaliers in the East. John Wall turned in a gutsy performance in Game 6 to help Washington get another chance. Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas has been electric all season. He will have to get everyone organized on both ends of the court to win, and help his team gain some momentum moving forward.