Damian Lillard Trolls Pat Beverley with Vacation Offer After Clippers Loss
Pat Bev #PatBev
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Perhaps the only ones loving the Los Angeles Clippers’ collapse more than Denver Nuggets fans and Los Angeles Lakers fans are the members of the Portland Trail Blazers’ backcourt.
Damian Lillard went as far as offering Clippers guard Patrick Beverley a vacation invite, and backcourt mate CJ McCollum didn’t hold back, either:
The tweets came after the Nuggets stunned the Clippers with a 104-89 victory in Game 7 of their second-round series. L.A. may have the most talented team in the league, but it blew a 3-1 lead and scored a grand total of 33 points in the second half of Tuesday’s loss.
Paul George shot 4-of-16 from the field in Game 7 while Kawhi Leonard was 6-of-22.
As for the beef with Lillard?
Bleacher Report’s Sean Highkin provided the details in August, noting Lillard missed two key free throws near the end of a seeding game loss to the Clippers. Beverley yelled out “D.O.L.L.A. Time,” while George waved goodbye much like Lillard did to him after hitting a series-winning three when George was still on the Oklahoma City Thunder in last season’s playoffs.
Lillard responded:
“PG? Let me just say this. I know what happened. I expect myself to make those free throws, and I didn’t when my team needed it, which was a failure for me that I can accept. But asking me about Patrick Beverley … I’ve sent him home before at the end of a game. Paul George just got sent home by me last year in the playoffs. So they know.
“The reason they reacted like that is because it’s what they expect from me, which is a sign of respect. And it just shows what I’ve done at a high clip more times than not. So I’m not offended by it. If anything, it should just show you how much it hurt them to go through what I put them through in those situations previously.”
They also took the situation to social media:
Ultimately both teams will watch the Western Conference Finals from home, but Lillard had some fun at the Clippers’ expense after Tuesday’s stunning loss.