Patrick Beverley scored 10 points and dished five assists in the Clippers' comeback win over the Warriors on Monday in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs. He was plus-1, but his value goes so much further than the stats show.
Listed at just 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Beverley hounded Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who stands just shy of 7-feet. Durant only attempted eight shots from the field and had nine turnovers. He fouled out with 81 seconds left and the Warriors leading by two points.
Asked how he held Durant to only eight shots, the Clippers guard kept it short and simple.
After long pause, all he said was, "Be Pat."
Pat Beverley on how he held KD to 8 shot attempts ☠️ (via @NBCSAuthentic) pic.twitter.com/zZs9J8aKLg— Overtime (@overtime) April 16, 2019
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"I just feel like he's the best, you know?" Beverley said to The Athletic after the Clippers' win. "No disrespect to their team, but he's one of the best players in the world. Him and Steph are two (of the best) – top six, they'd have to be … in the world. I felt like me covering KD would help our team and I wanted to set the tone."
Whether it was constantly toeing the line of fouling or trying to distract Durant at the free throw line, Beverley did his job. It was clear in the second half as the Warriors' 31-point lead started to dwindle, he was winning the outcome of this battle.
Pat Bev literally trying anything to get KD off his game 😆 pic.twitter.com/FUlmq3yTwP— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2019
But if you ask Beverley, he's not playing mind games. All he's doing is playing the only brand of basketball he knows.
"I don't try to get in people's head man," Beverley told reporters. "I can't help (that) people get irritated by me. It's not my fault. I go out there and I try to be the best defender on the f---ing planet, consistently – (day) in and out, in and out. I take my role, I take my job, very seriously, and I do it for my teammates.
"I undertand my role, and I understand how to get stops. KD is not an easy cover, but it's fun out there for sure."
KD should be able to dominate Pat Beverley, but the Clippers guard has every right to flex for the next few days. Fascinated to see how KD responds in Game 3. pic.twitter.com/vbNkYHYbqn— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) April 16, 2019
[RELATED: Can Warriors learn from embarrassing Game 2 collapse to Clippers?]
Both Durant and Beverley were ejected in the Warriors' Game 1 win. Before Game 2, Durant vowed to take a different approach with Beverley.
As this series heads to Los Angeles at one win apiece, he better find a whole new plan for Game 3.
