The past two days of the Western Conference Finals have revolved not just around an unexpected Game 1 comeback, but the very cause of it — a twice-in-a-quarter roll of the ankle that knocked San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard out of the game midway through the third period.

A direct culprit of his second left ankle sprain, Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia, was the target of all the fuzz surrounding the series, with many questioning the intent behind a running shot-contest that ended up undercutting Leonard.

Even the godfather of said closeout, Bruce Bowen — which has since been outlawed by the league, surprisingly wasn't willing to justify Pachulia's actions during that third quarter, but rather condemned his tactics.

“That play? I’ve watched it and, yeah, I thought he took an extra step,”Bowen told Mike Monroe of Bleacher Report. “Plenty of time to stop where he did, but he continued moving in that direction of Kawhi. That seems like it’s intentional and it’s definitely dangerous… What was his intent? You can rewind something five times and convince yourself of anything. What I saw, he kept moving in that direction after he contested the shot. You know you have to let a player come down. He kept walking into that space, so, for me, that says more about the intent.”

Bowen made a living in the league making an art out of defense during his 13 years in the league. If there is anyone that knows the ins and outs of defending in the NBA, it's likely him.

The Cal State Fullerton product was the target of many talks during his time in the league, to some who questioned his defensive tactics, aggressiveness, and overall approach to defense.

“The thing is, now I’ve seen all the stuff going around on social (media) and all the things people are saying, and a lot of it involves me,” Bowen said. “Well, I used to hate it when people called me dirty. I thought it was unfair when people just piggyback on what other people say. And I still do.”

Whether there was malicious intent is debatable, but Pachulia's closeout definitely had major consequences in the series with Leonard out tonight for Game 2 and questionable for Game 3 on Saturday.