Patrick Beverley doesn’t come with an off switch.
What you see on the court — the intense, hard-nosed, in-your-face player who is the heart of these Clippers — is pretty much what you get off the court, just down a couple of notches. But not turned off.
The trash talk never stops, either. After the Clippers dismantled the Warriors on the night Golden State opened its gleaming new Chase Center in San Francisco, Beverley trash talked a couple of the staff members cleaning up the arena, taking a shot at what the Warriors look like without Kevin Durant. Via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.In the Clippers’ locker room, Patrick Beverley was having some fun with some of the arena staff workers who help tidy up the facility.
“Y’all a little different without KD, I see,” Beverley playfully jabbed. “Uh-huh, y’all cheated long enough. It’s OK. Y’all had a good run. Back to reality.”
Ouch.
And he’s right.
Yes, the Warriors are also without Klay Thompson for at least most, if not all, of this season. Yes, we all know Stephen Curry is going to shoot better than 2-of-11 from three. D’Angelo Russell will not go 6-of-16 every night. Things will smooth out, the defense will improve.
However, Thursday night the Clippers provided a stark contrast from where the Warriors were and where they are now. It’s a bit shocking to the system.
And the Warriors are a little different without KD. Reality can be a cold slap to the face.