Blazers gathered around quote of Patrick Beverley calling Damian Lillard a 'whiner' before tip-off
If you wanted a playoff matchup with two point guards who share a distaste for each other, the first-round series between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers has got you covered.
When the two franchises met in March, both Patrick Beverley and Damian Lillard fouled out in overtime as the Rockets pulled off a 118-113 win. There was also an incident in the fourth quarter where the pair had to be separated after getting tangled up.
Following the contest, Lillard admitted that Beverley had got under his skin, referring to the Arkansas product's antics as "irritating" and accusing him on flopping.
On his weekly radio appearance one day later, Beverley responded by saying: "Damian Lillard whines." He also stated that he guards Lillard the same way he guards any point guard in the NBA.
Over a month has passed since the incident, but the Trail Blazers clearly haven't forgotten about Beverley's response.
Before heading to court Blazers gathered around a monitor showing Pat Beverley quote calling Lillard "a whiner." Last-minute bulletin board.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 21, 2014
Should the Trail Blazers meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, you can be sure that Russell Westbrook will be watching replays of his playoff injury from last season, one that was the result of some questionable defending from Beverley.