Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant had some flowery words to say about LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley after their heated showdown in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

During the postgame press conference, Durant praised Beverley's grit and added that he appreciates what the 6-foot-1 pitbull guard brings to the table.

Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley were both thrown out with 4:41 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Durant knocked Beverley to the ground and continued to bark at him while he was down. Of course, Beverley didn't take this while staying down and immediately went it with Durant.

The official standing right between them didn't hesitate to issue their second technical fouls of the night and ejected them out of the ball game.

In fact, Durant and Beverley had been jawing at each for the entire night, as the Clippers assigned their 6-foot-1 gritty guard on the Warriors' 6-foot-11 offensive maestro. You almost knew this was going to blow up at some point.

It certainly didn't take long for Beverley to get under the skin of someone from the Warriors. The players and coaching staff reportedly warned each other to look out for Beverley's antics, but it didn't take much from him to already get into what should be a fun series rivalry with Durant.

It remains to be seen how Beverley's physical and psychological antics will affect Durant for the rest of the series. However, it appears Durant loves the healthy competition.

Durant and the Warriors took care of business and cruised to a 121-104 victory. Stephen Curry led the way, finishing with 38 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, while Durant chipped in 23 points.