Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul has made a habit out of embarrassing Los Angeles Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley, and did so again on Monday night as the Suns blew out the Lakers 130-104.
Despite the lopsided score, Beverley made a “too small” taunt after scoring on Paul during a drive to the basket in the third quarter and the Lakers down 70-44. It is an odd taunt, as Beverley is listed at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds while Paul is listed at 6 feet, 175 pounds.
“You can’t pay attention to that stuff,” Paul said of Beverley’s antics, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “That ain’t new. He ain’t come up with it. But just play basketball, man.”
Beverley had nine points, three assists and three turnovers while Paul dropped 28 points and dished 8 assists.
“Pat is Pat. He wears his feelings on his sleeve,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. “I think everybody is getting a little too uptight with guys celebrating. … Obviously, there’s sportsmanship issues, and you have to be respectful of your opponent. I get that. And I think for the most part, we are. But I don’t want to see the league get to a place where players can’t have natural enthusiasm.
“The passion and emotion that’s involved with this game, and the trash talking, as long as no one is disrespecting another person’s family or spouse or kids or anything like that, I think it’s fodder. It’s fun fodder, man.”
“Pat is a seasoned vet, and he wants to have fun within the game,” Ham continued. “So, I’ll be damned if I’ll be the one to say these guys can’t have fun or they can’t do this or they can’t do that. I know time and score matters; you never want to embarrass yourself. But if guys want to enjoy the game, why not?”
