NBA’s Feud: Pat Bev vs CP3 – Good, Bad, and downright Ugly

The Good

For starters, let’s talk about the 17-year NBA career of PG Chris Paul.  17 years is a long time to be playing basketball. And over those 17 years, he has done brilliant things on the basketball court. Now, at the age of 37, he is still playing meaningful NBA basketball.  His career averages are the stuff that gets you into the Hall of Fame:

PPG  18.1  FG% .473  3P% .369 RPG 4.5  APG 9.5  SPG 2.1 

Those are not career highs. Those are high career averages over a 17-year NBA career. Those are lofty numbers for anyone in one season, let alone to make that your baseline performance. So has he earned any accolades, honors, or distinctions over that timeframe? Oh, a few:

1. 6 times NBA leader in steal
2. 7 times named to All-NBA defensive first team
3. 2 times named to All-NBA defensive second team
4. Boast a career SPG average of over 2.0

Those are achievements to be proud of.

The Okay

Minnesota Timberwolves PG Patrick Beverley is living his dream to play in the NBA. He is not under any financial pressure, having made over $14.2 million with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2021-2022 season. Originally from the west side of Chicago. His lifetime dream was to play in the NBA. So that became his goal from an early age.

Playing in the NBA is one thing. But Patrick Beverley was raised to be a fighter. He was focused on being the greatest he can be in all aspects of his game.  That came at a price. Trash-talking to get noticed became an integral part of his game. And that has carried over to the NBA.

Beverley is no newcomer to the league. He has a 10-year NBA career after playing two years overseason in international basketball. At the age now of 33, and after 10 years in the NBA, his career stats are:

PPG  8.8  FG% .414  3P% .378  RPG 4.3  APG 3.5  SPG 1.1 

Familiarity breeds contempt, it seems.

In a basketball camp, Patrick Beverley recollected a time when he faced Chris Paul, and in his own words, he “destroyed him.”  The most fascinating part of that tale was not just the words used in the description, but the snarl that etched across Pat Bev’s face as he shared the story with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.