Follow Us
Subscribe
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley should probably be called Silky Johnson at this point, because he's the new Player Hater of the Year. Beverley went on a rampage against Chris Paul on Monday after the Phoenix Suns' embarrassing Game 7 defeat over the weekend, but he also had some time for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Timberwolves veteran — who played for the Los Angeles Clippers for four seasons before heading to Minnesota — insisted to JJ Redick on ESPN that the Lakers' 2020 title deserves an asterisk and that it's a “Bubble Championship.” Here's Beverley making his case:
Patrick Beverley let JJ Redick know that the Lakers 2020 NBA Championship was a ‘Bubble Championship.’ 🏆👀
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/9ftQU25hs2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 17, 2022
There are plenty of fans who denigrate the Lakers' 2020 title because of the circumstances surrounding it. Those playoffs were played at Disney World with no fans in the stands, leading to some wild performances and surprising outcomes. Anthony Davis' play in particular was notable because his jumper all of a sudden became automatic, and his jump-shooting statistics in those playoffs are a massive outlier compared to the rest of his career.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/34ocYBAYRNQiTnnPfkOCwr?si=432c452219574b0d
Still, a title is a title, and there are plenty of championship runs that have weird circumstances involving injuries and other things. While Beverley and others can hate all they want, the Lakers and their fans will cherish that title.
It seems clear that Beverley is gearing up for a post-playing career in media in which he takes on a hating role. He has always been very outspoken, whether it's in interviews or on social media, and now he's his act to the debate shows. Don't be surprised to see a lot more Patrick Beverley in the future.