The Warriors make easy work of the Rockets in Game 1 of their opening round series on Saturday, but along the way not only did reigning MVP Stephen Curry roll his ankle pretty bad, he also got into a scuffle with Patrick Beverley.
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Known as a player who is never shy about mixing it up on the court, Beverley has often been criticized for being a “dirty” player, but Curry insisted after the game that he doesn’t see PatBev that way.
The quotes, via Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN:
Although the game was a blowout, Curry found himself in a few physical exchanges. Most notably, Curry shoved Patrick Beverley after the Rockets point guard committed a reach-in foul and got tangled on Curry’s arm.
“It set the tone. We didn’t want to come out here and start fights, of course not,” Beverley said. “That’s not what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to go out here and play basketball. We’re not backing down from anybody, and we’re trying to win a basketball series.”
Curry pushed back when asked whether Beverley is a “dirty player.”
“Nah, he’s an aggressive player,” Curry said. “He plays hard. He tries to get under your skin with certain things that he does, but that’s kind of his M.O. I wouldn’t call it dirty at all.”
Beverley said it isn’t his goal to irritate opposing players.
“I’m not trying to get under anybody’s skin,” said Beverley, who roomed with Curry at developmental basketball camps while the two were growing up. “If that’s how they feel, that’s how they feel. I can’t help that.”
