- [Narrator] In Game 6 of the 2021 Western Conference Finals
between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers,
Chris Paul drained this three to extend the Suns'
already massive fourth quarter lead.
The Clippers called timeout and as Paul headed back
to the bench, he made eye contact with Patrick Beverly.
If he could levitate, I'm sure he would've gladly floated
to his sideline, but since walking on two feet
is the standard here, looking at someone during a stroll
is pretty normal. Except, Pat Bev reacted
by shoving Paul on the back, sending him to the floor.
That put this beef on our radar.
A quick glance shouldn't warrant that type of reaction.
I mean, keep in mind there have been no real rumblings
of beef up to that point.
But understanding who these dudes are helps that moment
and everything that comes after it make a bit more sense.
(classical music continues)
Chris Paul is widely regarded
as one of the greatest point guards ever.
The future First Ballot Hall of Famer
is a masterful floor general known for filthy handles
and an ability to knock down shots anywhere on the floor.
Off the court, he's gained the respect of his peers,
serving as president of the NBA Players' Association,
and if you don't know him from hoops,
you've surely seen his twin brother Cliff
slangin' State Farm Insurance on TV.
CP3 is one of the league's brightest stars
and most marketable players.
The one thing currently missing
from his impressive resume is an NBA title.
In his pursuit of a championship,
Paul plays with questionable intensity,
gaining enemies along the way
while earning the rep as a pest.
Every aspect of Paul's career caught Patrick Beverly's eye.
Beverly is an inspiration in his own way.
After being drafted and cut soon after in 2010,
Pat Bev spent years sharpening his skills
in hostile environments across Europe.
Before carving out his place in the NBA
as one of the league's peskiest defenders.
Beverly's journey to the pros helped define him.
He operates with unmatched aggression,
barking and hounding opponents the length of the floor,
which has maybe led to some dirty plays.
The most infamous showcase of his antics came
during his first year in the NBA
when he dove at Russell Westbrook's legs
while going for a steal.
So yeah, Bev came out the gate hot.
But despite sharing a conference with CP3
from 2013 through 2020, everything seemed gravy
between Beverley and Paul.
That changed in 2021.
Bev a Clipper, Paul a Sun, the pair found themselves
in the battle out west with an optimal opportunity for drama
as the playoffs loomed.
While chippiness existed between these teams,
CP3 and Beverley found themselves at the center of it
in the fourth quarter of a game in April 2021.
As Paul brought the ball up the court,
Bev caught him with a vicious elbow to the ribs in mid-air.
After review, the foul was deemed excessive,
leading to an ejection for Bev,
which left him completely shocked
as if he didn't just gut check Paul moments earlier.
That blow from Bev only acted as a teaser
for what came next when the teams later faced off
in the Western Conference Finals.
CP3 entered the NBA's health and safety protocols,
forcing him to miss two games and leaving Beverley
to focus on Devin Booker.
That left Book needing stitches, but once Paul returned,
Beverley locked in on his main target.
Besides slapping the ball out of Paul's hands
in front of a ref and picking up a tech
during a Game 4 loss, Pat Bev showed his clear feelings
about the point god in Game 5.
As Phoenix trailed by nine in the middle of the third quarter,
Beverly fought through a screen and collided with CP3
as he went up for a jumper.
With Paul laid out on the court in pain,
Beverley mocked him with a devilish grin,
insisting he flopped.
Just listen to the crowd rain down boos
on Beverley who couldn't care less.
(crowd booing)
He fed off that type of hate.
Ultimately, the call got upgraded to a flagarant
and then just before Paul stepped to the free throw line,
Beverley walked up to CP3 and congratulated him
on selling the call.
LA went on to win Game 5 to avoid elimination
and when questioned about the fall
and whether he would be okay,
Paul didn't address Beverley flatly saying, he'll be fine.
- Oh yeah, I'll be all right.
- [Narrator] Sheesh, that awkward silence
as reporters waited for CP3 to expand is telling.
Anyway, during Game 6, Paul lit up Bev and the Clippers
en route to making his first ever NBA Finals,
but it didn't come without drama.
The shove from Beverly is one thing,
but the way Paul reacted in the moment
and after the game laid an interesting foundation
for this beef.
Following the shot in the back from Bev,
instead of popping up and attempting it
to get his lick back, once Paul got to his feet,
he could be seen pumping his arms in celebration.
After the game, he kept that same energy.
When asked about the shove,
Paul once again didn't address Beverly directly
and jokingly said, "The hit stung."
He then went on to say how he's matured over the years
and instead of chirping back at people,
he's learned to let his game do the talking.
Pat Bev, on the other hand,
addressed his actions head on the next day
in typical Pat Bev fashion.
He tagged CP3 in a tweet acknowledging
that his emotions got the best of him.
It's a standup move from Bev,
but he also mentioned the shove wasn't intended for Chris
even though that's exactly who he forcefully sent
to the ground.
A few days later, the NBA hit Pat Bev with a suspension
and when reporters brought it up to Paul,
he just wanted to focus on the Finals.
Time after time, Paul was given the chance
to fire back at Beverley, but he kept it pushing.
Sure, Paul can credit his maturation,
but his actions seemed intentional.
In the past, Paul had no issues defending himself
during times of beef where he saw his competition
on a level footing.
With Bev, CP3 sidestep every opportunity
to even mention his name or maybe Paul knew
A response would play right into Bev's hand.
You can't win a back and forth with someone
who thrives off negativity.
Unfortunately, for Paul, while he tried
to focus his attention toward adding that Finals trophy
that's alluded him, the Suns fell
to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
While the smoke cleared, it appeared the feud had died down
the following season.
Pat Bev had been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
and when he faced off against Paul for the first time
since the Conference Final scuffle,
everything seemed cordial.
Maybe Bev's apology was actually genuine and like Paul,
he wanted to move on as well (laughs).
Come on, this is Pat Bev we're talking about.
While making an appearance on JJ Reddick's
"Old Man and the Three" podcast in March 22,
Beverley explained he had smoked for Paul
since he was a young buck in college.
- I got invited to a LeBron James camp, you know,
the big Nike LeBron James camp when I was in college.
Chris Paul was there.
I killed him, destroyed him,
and then I see him in the NBA.
So, of course, the energy's gonna roll over to the NBA.
- [Narrator] Okay, if that type of energy is something
that Pat's been holding on to since college,
CP3 hasn't really shown that same type of animosity.
Later in that interview, Pat showed his admiration for Paul
and praised him for changing the game,
but even his applause for the point god came
right after calling him and I quote
"A dirty little motherfucker."
To finish things off, Pat said CP3 knowingly games
the system and his shove in the Conference Finals
was something he needed to get off his chest.
It's a true shit sandwich of a compliment.
While Pat kept fanning the flames,
there weren't any opportunities
to watch their beef play out on the court that season.
Minnesota and Phoenix were on different levels
and another playoff clash was unlikely.
The T-wolves barely snuck into the playoffs,
winning the play-in tournament, which Pat Bev treated
like a championship victory.
In pursuit of an actual title,
CP3 had a dreadful performance
in a Game 7 Semifinals lost,
that gave Beverley the perfect ammo to pounce.
The following morning, Pat Bev woke up bright and early,
threw on his crispiest polo shirt,
and went on the media tour dragging Paul.
He started off on ESPN's "Get up",
saying he doesn't need serious preparation
the night before playing Chris Paul
compared to other guards in the league.
- I'm going to Steak 44 over there in Phoenix,
I'm gonna have me a nice little wine,
probably sweat it out and the pre-game shoot around
and get ready for Chris Paul.
Steph Curry, I'm going to bed at eight o'clock.
Mom, don't call me, my girl, don't call me,
I'm locked in right now.
- [Narrator] Later in the same segment,
he tries CP3's defense,
comparing him to an inanimate object.
- CP can't guard nobody, man.
Everybody in NBA know that. - He can't guard-
- Everybody know that. - He can't guard anybody.
- What we call him, cone.
You know what you do with cones?
Like when in the summertime you got a cone, you make a move,
what does the cone do? - [Mike] Stay still.
- Exactly, he's a cone.
- [Narrator] Check the time.
This is all before 10:00 am Eastern.
Half the country hadn't wiped the morning crust
from their eyes and Pat Bev was already unleashing hell.
Just to clear up any confusion, Beverly doubled down
in his appearance on First Take, saying,
no one in the league is afraid of Paul's Phoenix Suns.
Well, many current players disagree with Bev,
but I quickly have to commend his grade A hating skills.
When Pat Bev earned second team, All-Defensive honors
in 2014, Chris Paul beat him out for the first team spot.
In 2017, Bev finally received
that prestigious first team spot, but so did CP3.
He had been crowned to the All-Defensive team twice
alongside Paul and still found time to flame him.
That's elite trolling. But besides completely slandering
Paul's talent, one point that Beverly kept coming back to
revolved around Paul's treatment throughout the league.
Beverley felt like thanks to the positions Paul's held,
CP3 could get away with certain calls
that others weren't fortunate enough to benefit from.
Pat Bev questioning Paul's credibility
isn't a unique critique and one that's followed Paul
throughout his various beefs,
but Beverley's ferocity of never letting up,
no matter the circumstances is unmatched.
Take this December '22 Matchup
between the Lakers and Suns, for example.
During the third quarter, while Paul guarded Beverley
out by the three point line, Pat Bev drove strong
to the hole and knocked down a shot plus the foul.
After the bucket, Bev taunted CP3, calling him too small.
All is fair in the world of beef, but at the time,
LA trailed Phoenix by 26 points. 26!
It didn't matter if his team was getting rocked.
When Bev finally got his opportunity to talk a little trash,
he had to do it.
After the game, reporters questioned Paul about the taunt
and he continued his refusal to call out Beverley by name.
Paul brushed it off and took a stab at Bev's originality,
but his irritation was clear.
Dropping the line, "Just play basketball man" is essentially
the polite way of saying cut out all the other shit.
At every turn, when given an opportunity to fire back
at Pat Bev, Paul took the high road
and decided to let his game do the talking.
Although CP3's game sometimes involved foul play.
During the March 2023 Matchup
between the Suns and Chicago Bulls,
as CP3 tried to get separation from Beverly,
he reached around and clearly tried to punch
Pat Bev in the groin.
Just watch as Beverley immediately covers himself down low
after taking a punch to the stomach.
I guess old habits don't always die.
Both of these dudes are in their mid to late thirties now,
but no matter who they play for
or the amount of time that's passed,
their beef remains piping hot.
While speaking on his podcast,
Bev said he would never turn down
his intensity when guarding Paul.
Whether it be indoors or outside,
Bev is prepared to stick Paul the length of the floor
and that mentality wouldn't change
until CP3 either retired or his own ankles shatter.
Bev's had a number of spats with players,
but he fully admitted to having special hate for Paul.
Pat Bev is 1,000% authentic to himself
so there is no reason to believe
that this beef wouldn't continue
unless he literally couldn't walk.
Chris Paul maybe hasn't thrown the same type of direct shade
at Beverley, but despite saying he's matured,
his actions on the court don't back that up.
If Paul ever wants to get rid of Bev,
he'll either have to seal his mouth shut
or wish for a tragic ankle injury
because two irritants stuck in their own ways
is a recipe for everlasting beef.
(transition swooshes) (electric music)
Yo, thanks for watching.
It's clear these two dudes are incredibly annoying
in their own way so, of course, they have other beefs.
Feel free to check those out and don't forget
to Like and Subscribe for more heat while you're at it.
Peace.