Behind his toughness and tenacity, the LA Clippers have embodied Patrick Beverley and it is seemingly working for the franchise.
It may have taken last night’s 113-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers for many to realize it, but the LA Clippers are embodying Patrick Beverley and it’s working.
With the death of Lob City once Chris Paul was traded, no one really knew what identity the Clippers would really take on. Yes, they still had DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, but they had never been huge vocal leaders. Enter Patrick Beverley. The team grabbed him in the CP3 trade with hopes of finding a replacement starter who could also be that vocal leader. There were early flashes, but an injury allowed Bev to only appear in 11 games prior to being shut down for the remainder of the season.
Soon after, Blake and DeAndre were no longer part of the team and the Clips were seen as a team full of role players with no real chance of making the playoffs. That didn’t deter Beverley.
The boisterous guard told TMZ during the summer that the Clippers were still the best team in LA, despite the addition of LeBron James to the Lakers. Despite poor shooting to start the season from him, the Clippers came out rolling. There were moments the team faltered, but overall the group continued to surprise, fighting and staying right in the midst of the playoff hunt even after trading one of their best players, Tobias Harris, at the trade deadline.
It’s that chip on the shoulder the team has. The same one Patrick Beverley has.
#Clippers’ Patrick Beverley on the chip on his shoulder - “I played with Miami, with LeBron and they cut me. I got drafted by the #Lakers, they traded me to Miami. Bron got there, they cut me. I remember it like it was yesterday, so yeah, it’s a chip on my shoulder.” pic.twitter.com/bcSwtF5En6
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 5, 2019
Ahead of Monday night’s game versus the Lakers, Beverley called them out, again repeating his sentiments that the Clippers were the best team in LA. He then set out to prove it.
Giving up 75 pounds (According to what their weights are listed as. 100lbs if we’re using real weight) and nearly 7 inches, Beverley demanded that he draw the defensive assignment against LeBron.
"“I asked for the assignment,” Beverley said matter-of-factly."
Post-victory, that same feistiness came out. When asked about his defensive impact on last night’s games (he had a season-high five steals), Beverley said “That’s my job. I come in here and do the little things. I’m happy as hell with my role”.
"I'm happy as hell with my role... I'm here to win ball games and that's what I do"@patbev21 isn't holding anything back@LAClippers | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/jFBJkb7GmJ
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) March 5, 2019
If that isn’t true for the team as a whole, I don’t know what is. Every player seemingly knows where they fit in, whether it’s Lou Williams and his scoring bursts, Montrezl Harrell and his never-ending motor or Landry Shamet and his ability to run off screens and shoot. Beverley is just stating what everyone else on the team is thinking.
The Clippers will have to carry that mentality into the playoffs. With Beverley leading them, that doesn’t seem like it will be an issue.