2019 NBA Playoffs: Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers preview
Key Matchup: Stephen Curry vs. Patrick Beverley
Sparks are bound to fly whenever Stephen Curry matches up with Patrick Beverley, with the former being one of the best scorers in the game today and the latter being a feisty, in-your-face point guard who believes personal space is an option.
Despite the high bar Steph has set with his consistent greatness, he came pretty close to topping it this season with his highest scoring average and 3-point percentage since his unanimous MVP campaign back in 2015-16.
The fluidity of Curry’s ball-handling, abilities coupled with his shot-making prowess from every spot on the court at all angles, makes him impossible to slow down. One way or another, he’ll get himself open with constant movement off the ball, forcing defenses to pay attention any time he steps onto the court.
Beverley has worked his way up from playing overseas to being one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA. He picks guys up from the moment the ball is inbounded, with a mouth never stops spewing any and everything needed to get inside one’s head. He’ll crowd guys before the ball is inbounded and grab and tug just an inch of their jersey — anything to take his assignment off their rhythm.
Patrick Beverley explains how the Clippers are preparing for the Warriors in the NBA Playoffs pic.twitter.com/d7Nh4kbkkj
— FS1 (@FS1) April 11, 2019
Guys may score 30 on him, but the two-time All-Defensive team member will make them earn every single point with relentless physicality at all times. It’s a style that can wear down even the best of stars over the course of a seven-game series.
There is no stopping an offensive legend like Steph Curry, but Beverley has as good a determination and fire as just about anybody around the league to make his night difficult and draining, having coaxed the three-time champion on multiple occasions with his annoying tendencies.
Curry is the engine that makes Golden State run. He is also the guy who rolled his ankle in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Knowing how ruthless he is, Beverley will put that ankle to work all game long, and if he can get Steph off his game just a little bit, it can disrupt the Warriors’ flow at the offensive end.