Los Angeles Lakers: No Patrick Beverley antics in the Conference Finals!

Patrick Beverley went on record and stated that he could defend LeBron James!

Look, in the NBA no player can get starstruck and give superstars to much credit. Confidence is everything and getting 40 points dropped on your head too many times can have you bounced out of the league quick.

But there’s a difference between starstruck and just plain stupid. This is Patrick Beverley after the game when asked about defending LeBron James.

Dude…dude…dude. No challenge? Said it three times? After the whipping LeBron James put on your franchise in front of the NBA world?

Well, let’s compare what the two players did in the game!

LeBron James:

In 35 minutes, LeBron James destroyed the Clippers, scoring 29 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. He closed the game out with daggers in the clutch. This was the game that he exposed Lou Williams as a defensive liability. The Lakers constantly used the pick and roll to create switches to make Lou play defense. Denver took advantage of this but the Lakers would have dogged the Clippers with Williams on the floor! 

Patrick Beverley:

Most of the season, the media centered the defensive toughness around the play of Patrick Beverley. In this game, Beverley was a trash bin floating in a flood. He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting, 4 rebounds, an assist, and 3 turnovers. His point guard play along with Reggie Jackson, who may have been worse, was a huge reason the Lakers won this game. Beverley had  plus/minus ratio of -16.

But this was bad timing for Beverley and the Clippers. LeBron James is playing out of his mind at the time. True ballers know not to mess with players in a zone. It’s even worse when you tried to get the man out of his game with antics.

All he basically did was bait the players with feigned tough play. Trying to use his reputation to get under the skin of LeBron.

• Avery Bradley was called for a technical foul “saying something” to Patrick Beverley after a steal and layup.
• Fouling LeBron and constantly bumping him to the free-throw line.
• When he slapped the ball out of LeBron’s hand in the second half, Rajon Rondo was ready to get involved in the festivities!

Now let’s get to the bubble and watch how his antics sparked one of the greatest shooting exhibitions in the last ten years courtesy of Damian Lillard! This is the moment that will define the Clippers and Patrick Beverley’s season.