The ongoing beef between the OKC Thunder and Patrick Beverly flared up on the court Friday and continued via Twitter after the game.
OKC Thunder stars Paul George and Russell Westbrook left Friday’s game against the Clippers clearly frustrated after fouling out. George specifically had been butting heads with Patrick Beverley all night and struggled to get equal respect from the officials throughout the game.
Beverly, of course, has a long-standing rivalry with the Thunder and is considered by many to be public enemy No. 1 in Oklahoma City. The beef began in 2013 when Beverely tore Westbrook’s meniscus after banging knees going for the ball after the whistle. Beverley is notorious for being over-aggressive around the entire league, but since the incident, has received an extra level of hate from the Thunder and their fans.
@Yg_Trece never knew u for the excuse type. Give credit if credit is due. I locked u up last night. I won the Battle last night. Plain and simple.
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) March 9, 2019
PG13 – Pat Beverley back and forth
George got his first taste of the old rivalry on Friday in Los Angeles, as Beverley irritated him all night and seemed to get more love from the officials. Things came to a head when George picked up his sixth foul late in the fourth, much to the appreciation of Beverley.
The drama continued after the game when George criticized the officials while speaking to the media and was subsequently fined $25,000 for doing so. Beverley saw this and took to Twitter, claiming George’s criticism of the officiating was an excuse for being locked down. George fired one last shot at Beverley before both players went silent.
Stop it pat lol LA has gave you a platform now but stop it bra bra!
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) March 9, 2019
Friday’s contest was the last time the two teams will meet up in the regular season, so the drama
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will have to be put on hold for now. The season series ended in a split, with the home team winning each game. And since the Thunder and Clippers are unlikely to meet up in the playoffs, we’ve probably seen the last of the drama this year.
Currently, the Clippers are a half-game above the eighth-place Spurs and the Thunder dropped to fourth behind the surging Rockets.
So unless a drastic shift happens, the Clippers are likely to make a first-round exit, going up against the Warriors or Nuggets. The Thunder are expected to make a deeper run in the playoffs, but also have their work cut out for them.
Regardless, this season is not the last we’ve seen of the Thunder-Beverly rivalry.