When Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Patrick Beverley in an offseason trade, they thought they knew what they were getting. A high-energy, high-character player whose personality is, really, larger than anything imaginable. Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George made sure his good friend Towns knew who they were getting.

The Timberwolves were much-improved this season, putting together a 46-36 record and earning a playoff berth for only the second time in the last 18 years. Coming into this year, Patrick Beverley's teams had never missed the playoffs, and he wasn't about to let it start happening now.

Ahead of the Clippers' loss to the Timberwolves in the play-in tournament, Paul George, who played two seasons with Beverley, explained what he has seen from Beverley since his arrival to Minnesota.

“This is definitely a nod to Patrick Beverley. I definitely see a team that is confident, I see a team that has believed and they play with some heart,” Paul George said of the Timberwolves. “Karl-Anthony Towns is one of my closest friends in the league and so I told him immediately when they got Pat Bev that he’s going to change a lot of stuff. Whether it is good or bad, he is going to make an impact.

“And he’s doing that. Pat Bev has been really the battery and the engine that they needed to have. They have so much talent over there, but they needed someone to kind of push them. That is what I am seeing, a team that is competing now, they play hard, they’re talented and they got, just like us, a lot of guys that are versatile. They are one of the top eight teams in the West for a reason.”

The Clippers dropped their play-in tournament matchup with the Timberwolves, 109-104, despite just 11 points from Karl-Anthony Towns, who dealt with foul trouble most of the night.

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Despite dealing with early foul troubles, Patrick Beverley finished with seven points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes of play. After helping the Timberwolves secure the seventh seed and a date with the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, Patrick Beverley definitely let it be known how he really felt.

“Man, we played a really good team,” the Timberwolves guard said after the win. “I'm going to try to sound real humble, but I know that's going to leave in about two seconds. We played a real good team, good coach. Obviously emotions behind it, former team. I wanted this so bad. I wanted this one so bad. This is just the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, play-in to be able to beat them. It means another goal scratched off. I told you we was going to the playoffs. Most of y'all looked at me like I was crazy when I first said that. I f*cking told you all.

“Take their ass home. Long flight to LA, take y'all ass home. It's deeper than that for me. I gave my blood and sweat and tears to that organization. You guys know the story, especially you. Blood, sweat and tears, to just be written off like that. Oh, he's injury prone, he's old, this, this, that, that. To be able to come here, play them in a play-in, beat their ass, no other feeling, man. No other feeling.”

Karl-Anthony Towns, Patrick Beverley, and the Minnesota Timberwolves will now face Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 starting Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. PT.

Paul George and the LA Clippers will host the winner of the Spurs-Pelicans play-in game on Friday night in Los Angeles.