“Like I was hearing that s**t in L.A” – Patrick Beverley throws shade at LA Lakers’ fans and praises Chicago Bulls’ fandom
Patrick Beverley has provided a key spark to the struggling Chicago Bulls franchise as the team fights to make the NBA Play-In Tournament. In the absence of Lonzo Ball, Beverley's veteran experience on both ends of the floor has proven invaluable as he's helped the Bulls go 8-4 in their last 12 games.
One of the most important aspects that Beverley's presence provides the Bulls is accountability. He does so in both in missed rotations on defense, as we saw when Nikola Vucevic allowed a wide-open look at the paint last week, and in giving offensive players confidence.
After the Bulls eked out a massive win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the team's first first ever victory over Joel Embiid, Beverley spoke about the change of scenery. After spending much of the season with the ailing LA Lakers, the move to his hometown has given him a breath of fresh air.
The way he sees things, it isn't just 'The Pat Bev effect' on Chicago, it's the Chicago effect on Pat Bev. After picking up a big double-overtime win over the 76ers, Beverley used his platform on The Pat Bev pod to praise Bulls fans.
“I play a bad game with Chicago, I aint gotta look on twitter and hear ‘he’s a bum, get him outta here!’ Like I was hearing that sh!t in L.A.”
Below you can see the podcast in its entirety.
The Chicago Bulls season so far and the impact of Patrick Beverley
While the Chicago Bulls struggled early on in the year, there were questions of whether or not the team would be able to turn things around with Patrick Beverley. At the time, when the team acquired Beverley, they were sitting outside of Play-In tournament contention.
Beverley, of course, had no plans to let the remainder of the season fall by the wayside. As he famously stated when he landed in Chicago, his goal was to not only help the Bulls make the playoffs but also knock the Lakers out of contention.
Currently, the Bulls have pulled themselves into tenth place in the Eastern Conference. With a three-game win streak, the team now sits just half a game behind the Toronto Raptors in ninth place. In addition, they sit just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks in eighth place.
With 11 games left in the season, the team has a real chance to cement their place in the Play-In tournament. With news emerging that Lonzo Ball is likely to miss the entirety of next season as the result of a cartilage transplant, the city needs all the good news it can get.
Considering the Bulls won't own their pick for this draft unless it falls within the top four, the odds of making a splash in the draft seem increasingly unlikely. With that said, the momentum that a Play-In tournament win, or a playoff berth, could provide would be absolutely massive.
Given the 'Patrick Beverley effect' on the team over the past few weeks, expect the front office to re-sign the veteran guard this offseason.