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

The Ugly

Okay, now for the ugly side of the NBA, Chris Paul, and Patrick Beverley. Fans of the NBA know that certain players have a reputation for hitting below the belt. Chris Paul has a reputation for being one such player. He’s been linked to a college injury of punching Julius Hodge below the belt.  Hodge played for NC State at the time. For the transgression, Paul was suspended for one game.

That reputation followed Paul into the NBA, where he continued to use nefarious methods on the court, oftentimes doing so without the detection of the NBA officiating crew. No foul? No harm? You be the judge.

So those who live by the cheap shot, sometimes get cheap shots in return. When Pat Bev played the Suns as a Clipper, he crossed the line on the court.

But this is more than one bad exchange on the basketball court. This is a tried and tested bitter feud, the stuff that would rival ancient feuds in Scotland.

Hey, this seems to be the norm now, doesn’t it? Los Angeles Lakers Russell Westbrook weeks earlier called out Minnesota Timberwolves Patrick Beverley, saying that Beverley has everyone fooled and that Pat Bev can’t guard anyone. So is this all a contorted trash-talking convention of paying it forward?

The attraction to many for the sport of professional basketball is the pure athleticism of the sport. It is designed to be a non-contact sport, and as a result, has enjoyed an ever-increasing domestic and international popularity. Trash talking on the court even has a minor role, although Pat Bev’s trolling of Ja Morant in game five seemed to trigger Morant’s taking over that game and the Minnesota Timberwolves losing the playoff series in six games.

Trash talking off the court? Nah. Not smart. Bad idea. Like the internet, you can’t control it, and it takes on a life of its own. Worse yet? It oftentimes comes back to bite you in the arse.