“Not playing his best basketball, his stats were still better than Pat Bev’s” - CJ McCollum says Patrick Beverley’s comments on CP3 felt personal
Patrick Beverley went after Chris Paul following the latter's performance in the Western Conference semifinals, and CJ McCollum believes it was more personal than anything else.
The Phoenix Suns emphatically lost Game 7 at home against the Dallas Mavericks to suffer a disappointing end to their season. The Suns had two opportunities to close out the series but were blown out in those games, with CP not being as impactful as many expected.
However, many found the way Patrick Beverley came at Paul to be distasteful and almost as if he had been waiting for an opportunity to voice those thoughts out. On "Pull Up with CJ McCollum," the New Orleans Pelicans guard commented on the situation.
CJ believes Beverly's rant was a bit too personal and was not solely focused on basketball.
"One thing I will say about Patrick Beverley is that he's consistent. He's consistently himself in terms of his expression, in terms of his opinion, in terms of his beliefs. Not only in the things that he says but his belief in himself."
He went on to add:
"I don't necessarily think I agree with it but I think everybody has a right to their own opinions. I would say a lot of stuff that he said about CP in terms of his performance in the playoffs was true. I think it was more so the way he said it."
After highlighting the ways Beverley could have gotten his point across, citing Matt Barnes' comments as an example, he continued:
"Even with all that being said, him not being his normal self, not playing his best basketball, his stats were still better than Pet Bev's stats, career and otherwise. So, I think that kind of painted the picture as to why is he going at him like that. It felt personal. It felt personal to me. As I watched, I was like you know this looks personal."
The NBA community was shocked to see the no.1 seeded Suns get eliminated in such a manner as they were clear favorites and even took an early 2-0 series lead. However, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks deserve massive credit for their resilience and clinching the series.
Patrick Beverley reveals that his history with Chris Paul dates back to college
On "Stephen A's World," Patrick Beverly revealed that his run-in with CP3 started in college, and there has been animosity between the two players ever since. He pointed out that he first encountered Paul at a LeBron James camp, which is where it all started.
"I got a taste of little CP there. Destroyed him."
Beverly added:
"So, it's always been something from there. I respect his game. I love CP's game. I love what he do, I love back in the day he destroyed Tony Parker and all that type of stuff in New Orleans. But the praise that he gets and the slander that he doesn't get when he doesn't perform is not the same as it is with every other superstar, and my question is 'Why not?'"
I asked @patbev21 to explain his history with @CP3. https://t.co/rJmWLP6GzA
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard maintained that the entire NBA is not scared of Paul, and they always accept the challenge. In last year's WCF, Patrick Beverley notably shoved CP3 just before his team was eliminated from the 2021 playoffs.
flawless victory. https://t.co/uYK9Mnt4p9
Nonetheless, Paul has put together an incredible career worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. His failure to win a championship from comfortable positions will always be a dent in his career, but the Point God has some time to try again.
Paul's contract with the Suns will remain active until the 2024-25 season, giving him at least three more years to win the title. However, some analysts, such as Nick Wright, believe his championship window has shut as he did not cash in this year.