A clear landing space foul is when a defender moves below a shooter, impeding their ability to safely land after taking a shot. The move causes an awkward landing for the offensive player and often leads to injury if the defender encroaches closely enough. It used to be rarely called and even became a staple of sorts for certain defenders who were maligned as “dirty,” like John Stockton or Bruce Bowen. You can see that didn’t really happen in the aforementioned play.
The foul received an uptick in calls following the 2017 postseason after then-Warriors big man Zaza Pachulia injured the ankle of then-Spurs wing Kawhi Leonard during a three-point attempt when Pachulia stepped underneath the San Antonio player.