After Damian Lillard shockingly saw two free throws with a chance to overtake the Portland Trail Blazers by 18.6 seconds, Patrick Beverley performed on the bench of the LA Clippers by imitating Lillard’s trademark Dame Time celebration by pointing on his wrist before later saying goodbye to Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
When told after the 122-117 loss to the Clippers that Beverley and Paul George were leaving the Blazers, Lillard reminded the two Clippers of what he had done to them in the past. That led to back-and-forth trash conversations on social media afterward.
“PG made the wave because he was surprised too [about the missed free throws] because he experienced waving last year, “Lillard said of his famous wave farewell to Russell Westbrook and George after his walk-off game-winning 3-pointer that eliminated the Thunder in Game 5 of the first round last year .
“Ask me about Patrick Beverley, who I sent home earlier after the end of a game. Paul George is a man who was sent home by me in the playoffs last year, so they know. The reason. she’s reacted like that because of what she’s expecting from me, that’s a sign of respect and it just shows what I’ve done multiple times as a high cliff. I’m not offended by that.
“If anything, it should just tell you how much it hurt her to go through what I put her in those situations earlier.”
After the quote from Lillard Plaster was posted on a Bleacher Report Instagram post, George and Beverley commented.
Beverley posted “Cancun at 3” with three screaming laughing emojis in the comments section.
George also commented: “And you’ll be sent home this year” with a screaming laughing emoji and a fist emoji next to the word respect. “
Lillard then responded to George by pointing out how the Clippers demanded forward trades from Indiana and Oklahoma City to play with Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard: “keep changing teams … run from grinding. You guys are chumps.”
Before it hit social media, George was asked in his postgame session with reporters about the conversation between the two teams during the game.
“Competition,” George explained. “It’s part of the game. Simple as that … Some people can play with talking, some can’t.”
This is a loss that hurts the Blazers. In hot pursuit of the eighth seed, the Blazers (32-39) now beat Memphis (33-37) by 1.5 games. This despite the fact that they are dealing with a Clippers team that did not have Leonard, who sat outside the game to manage pain in his left knee, which is routine during Clippers’ back-to-back set of games.
The Clippers were also without Beverley (left calf strain) and Montrezl Harrell (not with team). And on top of that, Doc Rivers played George just two minutes into the fourth due to a limit of minutes.
Despite playing against the Clippers’ reserves, the Blazers trailed 118-117 after Rodney McGruder scored a 3-pointer. Lillard, an 88.9% career shooter, throws both free throws to the delight of Beverley and Marcus Morris Sr., who performed in the Clippers bench area.
“Really surprised,” George said of the missed free throw when asked in his session with reporters. “I’m sure he was likely. But he misses them. It’s part of the game. It’s what it is.”
Lillard rarely misses in that situation. Entering today, the point guard was 30-for-36 on free throw in tackle time this season and an 89.7% career free-throw shooter in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter as overtime according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“Once I got to the line, I felt good about it,” Lillard said. “I was like OK, we go one up. Come down and stop and then it’s a game of free throws. And then the first one left short. Even after that, I was just fine, it’s going to get tied up and they will get the last shot. And then another left short, and I was just … sometimes that has to happen. “
Afterwards, Lillard owned until the missed free throw and said it would not pull.
“I don’t see myself as a mental dwarf as someone who maintains it,” Lillard said. “I’m a shooter.”
However, there is a very good chance he will remember that Beverley behaved the way he did and George’s social media comments.
“I have not seen it, but I have heard of it,” Lillard said of Beverley’s imitations of Lillard’s celebrations. “After I missed the first one, I heard them crying there. For me, that just shows what they expect from me in the region. They know what I’m doing. And he saw it with the first hand when I was a sophomore. was when he was in Houston. “
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