The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers have had their fair share of battles over the years, including two NBA playoff series in which the Warriors came out on top. Now, with Kevin Durant on the east coast and Kawhi Leonard on the west coast, the Clippers have the chance to be the favorites in the Pacific Division rivalry and no one is more happy about it than Patrick Beverley.
At the tail end of the Clippers’ 141-122 beatdown over the Warriors in their regular season opener on Thursday, Beverley told Curry that the Clippers are California’s new powerhouse, and that they’re not going anywhere any time soon (via Sean Deveney of Heavy):
“You had the last five years,” Beverley told Curry, according to a source. “The next five years are mine.”
That wasn’t the only thing Beverley did on Thursday, as he mocked fans for heading for the exits early as well. But even with his team down by nearly 20 points, Curry had to say something back to the notoriously irritating point guard:
To that, Curry laughed and replied, “Aren’t you 31?”
It’s true that the Clippers will be among the favorites to win the title for the next five years, or for however long Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are with the team. However, it’s too soon to rule out the Warriors making a comeback during that time.
The Warriors are bad right now, but a large part of the reason they’re so bad is the fact that their All-Star shooting guard, Klay Thompson, is sidelined with an ACL injury. Once Thompson returns — whether that be next season or this season — the Warriors will have their original core three and, presumably, D’Angelo Russell. They could also field offers for Russell in an effort to rebuild the depth they lost over the summer.
In other words, the Warriors may be down but they’re not out, and even if they are, it’s too soon to tell. Of course, that won’t stop Beverley from enjoy his time in the sun — nor should it — but these are the types of comments he could look back and regret a year from now when the Warriors are back at full strength.
