The Western Conference Finals only just started on Sunday afternoon and already the series is rife with controversy.With the San Antonio Spurs holding a huge lead over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 in Oakland, star forward Kawhi Leonard re-injured his left ankle when he came down on Golden State center Zaza Pachulia's foot while attempting a jump shot in the third quarter.Leonard was unable to continue and had to watch from the locker room as the Warriors came back to earn a 113-111 victory.Many fans watching the game thought Pachulia slid his foot into Leonard's landing zone on purpose to intentionally injure the San Antonio star, but you can judge for yourself from the video below:

Regardless of whether Pachulia did it on purpose or not, the game was changed after that moment, as the Spurs completely collapsed without their leader on the court.

After the game, Pachulia defended himself against allegations of dirty play to reporters, as you can see in the video below:

"That's really stupid," Pachulia said about those who claim he intentionally injured Leonard. 

“Like I said, I had to challenge the shot especially [since] it was a handoff situation,” he continued. “You saw my teammate was behind the screen so I had to challenge the shot. That’s what I did. I turned around and went for the rebound and that was it. Anybody going down like that with an injury... I’m an athlete, too, so, I know how it feels and I don’t wish it to anybody, even though we are facing against them.”

In a different interview, Pachulia added that being a big guy and going at full speed can often lead people to think you're playing dirty:

Pachulia was only assessed a common foul on the play and Leonard stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws before exiting the game.

After the contest, even Leonard absolved Pachulia of any wrongdoing, saying he didn't believe his opponent was trying to hurt him on purpose:

"Did he step under it, like on purpose? No, he was just contesting a shot," Leonard said. "The shot clock was coming down. I'll have to see the play."

Even though nobody on the court seems to think Pachulia's play was anything suspicious, it's safe to say the Warriors center will not receive a warm welcome in San Antonio for Game 3.

Of course, Game 3 is the last thing on the Spurs' minds right now, as they may potentially face Game 2 on Tuesday night without their star forward on the court.