The Warriors remember what Lou Williams did to them on Jan. 10, 2018, sliding into Oracle Arena and dropping 50 points – 27 in the third quarter – on the champs. The Warriors took their beating like a man, partly because everybody likes Lou.
Patrick Beverley is another matter entirely. Nobody likes Beverley except his teammates, and maybe not all of them.
Stephen Curry definitely has no love for Beverley, which is why when the Warriors and Clippers convene at Oracle this weekend for their first-round playoff series, their matchup should offer a feast for the eyes – and, if you get close enough, the ears.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
They have a long history of conflict, dating back to Beverley’s days with the Houston Rockets. In the first quarter of Game 1 of the 2016 first-round playoff series between the Warriors and Rockets, Beverley tripped Curry – in such a way that could have been perceived as intentional – and set off a shoving match, with both being assessed technical fouls.
The animosity remained when Beverley was traded to LA before the 2017 season. Their most recent flareup came when the teams met on Dec. 23 in Oakland. They got into it again, and both received technical fouls.
[RELATED: Curry jokes about flexing on Beverley]
Beverley is the league’s foremost instigator – please, no Draymond Green comps – and he loves to pick and probe at Curry. And it’s conceivable no player in the NBA is more annoyed by the presence of Beverley than Curry.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Beverley thinks as highly of his defense as Curry does of his offense, meaning each sees himself as a difference maker, only on opposite ends of the court. But it’s more than that, at least for Beverley, as the means by which he measures himself is Curry.
[RELATED: Who has edge in Warriors-Clippers?]
Never mind that Curry is a two-time MVP and three-time NBA champion.
So keep in mind that with these two there is the threat of violence and the promise of roiling emotions.