It’s time for our subsequent class of Spurs villains. This time, we’re on the lookout for your votes on “soiled” gamers. These are the gamers who dedicated aggressive performs towards the Spurs, injuring (or making an attempt to injure) a participant, or altering a playoff match-up. Readers will vote for the most important villain in a ballot, and the winner of every match-up will advance to the following spherical, with the eventual winner topped because the Largest Spurs Villain of all time. Let’s get to the voting!
1. Zaza Pachulia (The Slide) vs. 8. Lu Dort (West Finals shenanigans, Barnes journey in common season)
The play so well-known the NBA actually needed to change its guidelines. It’s not a stretch to say that Zaza Pachulia taking out Kawhi Leonard on that bounce shot utterly altered the path of the Spurs franchise. San Antonio was swept within the sequence after successful 60+ video games that 12 months, and Leonard compelled his manner out of city very shortly afterwards. The slide is likely one of the most negatively impactful performs in franchise historical past and actually modified the league.
Lu Dort, however, is an annoying, scrappy participant who, infrequently, has some egregious moments. The sheer quantity of incidents from Dort towards the Spurs may make a case for him right here. Let’s rely them:
Dort is the eighth seed right here as a result of his antics didn’t in the end add as much as something. San Antonio nonetheless defeated the Thunder and superior to the Finals. His influence on the franchise isn’t anyplace near Pachulia’s soiled play.
2. Karl Malone (The Elbow) vs. 7. Raja Bell (battles with Manu)
Generally a grimy play has some grey space. There is no such thing as a grey space when a participant is knocked unconscious. Karl Malone’s elbow is considered one of clear frustration that knocked out Robinson. It’s by some means not the worst factor that Malone has ever completed in his life!
Raja Bell and Manu Ginobili had some battles throughout their time. Probably the most well-known play between the 2 might be the double flop. There are a couple of arduous fouls right here and there, however nothing that’s overtly soiled. Malone is the clear winner right here.
3. Eduardo Najera (Mavs enforcer, harm Rose in 03, Manu in 10) vs. 6. DeJuan Blair (Tiago kick)
Eduardo Najera talked about in 2026? Solely in a Spurs soiled participant draft. Najera’s most well-known play might be when he used each of his arms to throw Ginobili to the bottom within the 2010 playoffs (that is whereas Manu had a damaged nostril). However he additionally smacked Tony Parker within the face within the playoffs, and collided with Malik Rose within the 2003 playoffs. There may be sufficient quantity and severity of soiled performs right here to make him a top-three seed.
We even have the uncommon former-Spur make the listing! DeJuan Blair’s full-on donkey kick to Tiago Splitter’s head is an insane play. It’s a transfer you’d see within the UFC octagon, not on the basketball courtroom. It’s unhealthy sufficient to probably upset Najera within the first spherical.
4. Juwan Howard (Derek Anderson karate chop) vs. 5. Kevin Garnett (trash talker)
I used to be initially shocked to see Kevin Garnett on this listing. Sure, I do know he has the repute as one of many NBA’s best trash talkers, however I by no means thought of him to be overly soiled towards the Spurs. That was till I learn this alleged story about Garnett telling Tim Duncan “pleased Mom’s Day” throughout a sport on the vacation, 9 years after Duncan’s mom had handed away from breast most cancers. There is no such thing as a solution to corroborate if that story is true, however whether it is, he greater than deserves the 5 seed on this listing.
The Juwan Howard play doesn’t look good 25 years later, however on this interview he appears genuinely remorseful, and even went so far as to go to the Spurs’ locker room to apologize for the play. Plus, San Antonio did go on to win the sequence towards the Mavericks 4-1. Would Anderson have helped San Antonio defeat the Los Angeles Lakers within the Western Convention Finals? He was solely averaging 7.7 factors within the playoffs previous to the harm, and the Spurs did get swept. We are going to by no means know.
The Garnett story is a reputable low blow, vs. a seemingly harmless, however overaggressive play from Howard. I do know which manner I’d lean right here.
