Why Ja Morant and the Grizzlies can't stoop to Patrick Beverley's level
Ja Morant and his Memphis Grizzlies team have not been bashful on the court, or around the microphone, throughout the course of the regular season. Whether it be a SportsCenter top 10 highlight or a postgame quote for the ages, the Grizzlies are a team that can do both. Grizzlies fans first witnessed it after […]
Ja Morant and his Memphis Grizzlies team have not been bashful on the court, or around the microphone, throughout the course of the regular season. Whether it be a SportsCenter top 10 highlight or a postgame quote for the ages, the Grizzlies are a team that can do both.
Grizzlies fans first witnessed it after a February matchup with the New York Knicks that led to Julius Randle’s ejection following a shoving match with Desmond Bane. Not only did Memphis win the game 120-108, but it was Morant’s comments in the postgame press conference that caught everybody’s attention.
“There ain’t no running in the M, man,” said Morant. “We climb up the chimney. We ain’t ducking no smoke. We’re gonna let everybody know we’re here. We’re gonna play hard. We’re trying to get a win, and if you don’t like it? Oh well.”
*Mic drop*
While the mindset in Memphis has never changed, this particular Grizzlies team is different from any group that has come before them. Looking for its first series victory in the NBA Playoffs since the 2014-15 season, a scrappy Minnesota Timberwolves team now stands in the way.
Like the Grizzlies, the Wolves have constructed a roster flush with budding superstars such as Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and De’Angelo Russell, all of whom combined to average 64 PPG in the regular season. The Wolves also dabble in the trash-talking game, led by the notorious agitator Patrick Beverley.
Beverley (33) is the oldest member of the Timberwolves and is widely considered to be one of the dirtier players in basketball. Likely to be tasked with guarding Morant, who can chirp with the best of them, there is no telling what will transpire in this series.
When asked about Beverley trying to get under his skin, Morant replied, “You remember that quote I said? We ain’t ducking no smoke.” Morant will have to do his best to ignore Beverley’s antics as the Grizzlies without Morant are much worse off than the Wolves without Beverley.
The Timberwolves drew criticism from NBA fans for celebrating their victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In Tournament as if they had won the title. Beverley jumped on the scorers’ table, threw his jersey into the crowd, and hilariously sipped a Bud Light in the postgame presser after beating his former team.
Patrick Beverley’s Controversial History
A controversial collision with Russell Westbrook in a 2013 playoff series, when Westbrook was with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Beverley was a Houston Rocket, led to Westbrook suffering a torn meniscus that forced him out for the remainder of the playoffs. The two met years later in a 2019 regular season matchup when Westbrook was famously quoted by saying, “Pat Bev trick y’all man, like he playing defense. He don’t guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing.”
Grizzlies fans might remember back to a 2016 game against Beverley’s Houston Rockets when Pat Bev put Mike Conley in a chokehold in a scramble for a loose ball. LeBron James even accused Beverley of re-injuring his groin after a questionable knee to the midsection in 2019.
What we can expect during the NBA Playoffs is Morant will do Morant things. Anticipate game play and remarkable shots made. As for Beverley, whether it be through physical play, trash-talking, or mind games, there is no doubt he will continue to entertain fans and frustrate opponents throughout the course of the First Round playoff series with the Timberwolves, starting with Game One tomorrow at 2:30 PM CDT.
Featured image via Petre Thomas – USA TODAY Sports
