Kyrie Irving Elaborates On Zaza Pachulia’s Dirty Play On Russell Westbrook

Kyrie Irving isn’t backing down.

The Boston Celtics guard recently took to Instagram to call out Zaza Pachulia for his cheap shot on Russell Westbrook during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Irving didn’t go particularly deep on the infamously dirty Pachulia or the controversial play, but he sure did in a recent conversation with The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

“I think everybody kind of saw what happened,” Irving told Washburn. “Whether (Nick Young’s) foot pushed him down forward, we’ve seen it over and over, and I don’t want to direct just him being a very, very dirty player strictly on him because a lot of dirty plays happen throughout the NBA, but I mean when it’s consistently happening.

“Russ felt the same way. Paul (George) felt the same way.”

Irving admitted he’s not sure how the league should handle Pachulia, who has a history of playing over the edge.

“We’ve seen it happen before for years and years with him doing (expletive) like that,” Irving said. “I don’t want the league to just suspend him for 10 games but you’ve got to take a look at it or something. That’s unacceptable in this game.”

Despite widespread condemnation for Pachulia and the play, the NBA elected to not discipline the Warriors forward.

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About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.