OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala said he wasn't going to assume intent regarding a shot to the groin he received from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
Contact occurred with 34.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter, when Dellavedova swiped down as Iguodala dribbled the ball. The resulting scuffle caused a stoppage of play, and Dellavedova was assessed a common foul.
"I'm not going to judge or say anything negative about him," Iguodala said after the Warriors' 104-89 win. "He's out there competing. There are a lot of emotions going on out there. I respect a lot of guys' hustle in this league. You've got guys who've got to get a little dirty, got to be a little physical, to make a life and to feed their family, so I can only respect that. For me, it's just keeping my composure and continue to try to do things for my team to help us win."
Of where he was struck, Iguodala said, "Where most men wouldn't want to be hit."
Senior vice president of replay and referee operations Joe Borgia addressed the shot in a postgame interview with NBA TV.
"It seems like a normal basketball play in the beginning," Borgia said. "Dellavedova reaches in and fouls Iguodala. But then you get the reaction by Iggy and all the players coming over.
"Listen, when you look at it, this was really a legitimate basketball play. He does reach in. He fouls him on the elbow and then his hand sort of glances off the elbow and goes down. Iggy's movement's going forward, you have some slight contact to the upper leg, groin area, but at the end of the review, the officials said this was not unnecessary. It wasn't unsportsmanlike. Therefore, they just ruled it a common defensive foul."
Iguodala made a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession as the Warriors engineered a 28-5 run en route to the win.