The Clippers topped the Jazz in overtime on Wednesday night in the final game of the regular season, but the result of the game wasn’t of much concern to either as both teams were locked into their playoff seeding before tipoff.
By the time overtime had started, both teams also knew who they would be playing as the schedule was set. The Clippers will face the Warriors in the first round, an unenviable task, while the Jazz surprisingly find themselves going up against the Rockets after the Blazers (playing six guys) and the Nuggets both pulled off improbably double-digit comebacks in their regular season finales.
After the overtime period ended, Jae Crowder and Patrick Beverley exchanged pleasantries and then some information, as Beverley, who was with the Rockets prior to joining the Clippers, appeared to give Crowder a crash course in defending James Harden — particularly how to avoid picking up the dreaded reach-in fouls against him.
https://twitter.com/ToddPatton/status/1116208985999327232
It’s a fascinating video to watch, as Beverley explains how to try and disrupt Harden and go for the ball without leaving your arm in a position for him to do his patented rip through move to get himself to the free throw line. Beverley surely faced off with Harden countless times in practices and scrimmages in his time in Houston, so there are few players that are more knowledgeable about his tendencies and how to best attack him than Beverley.
We’ll find out this weekend if Beverley’s advice pays any dividends for Crowder and the Jazz.
