Patrick Beverley's play dirty? Warriors have mixed reactions

OAKLAND – Of all the people to come to the defense of Houston Rockets agitator Patrick Beverley.

The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, ladies and gentlemen…

“Absolutely not,” Green told USA TODAY Sports when asked if he had a problem with Beverley’s first-quarter fisticuffs with reigning MVP Stephen Curry on Saturday. “(Beverley) is who he is, and that’s what made him who he is. You can’t knock somebody for the way he plays. I don’t think he does anything dirty. Now he does chippy stuff, but chippy is chippy and dirty is dirty.”

Beverley will always be remembered as the player whose aggressive ways ended Russell Westbrook’s season at this time three years ago. In Game 2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first round matchup with the Rockets, Beverley leapt at Westbrook during an inbounds play and wound up tearing his meniscus. His reputation as an NBA villain was, for all intents and purposes, set in stone that day.

In this series, one that the Warriors now lead 1-0 after their 104-78 rout, Beverley was seen by some as a possible X-factor. A wrist injury had kept him out last season when the Warriors downed the Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, and the idea of him hounding Curry all game long was enough to give the Rockets the smallest semblance of hope.

Stephen Curry says he's playing in Game 2

From the sound of it at Oracle Arena, every Warriors fan on hand deemed the incident with Curry a dirty play. After the play – one in which the two got tangled up and exchanged shoves after the whistle and before being assessed double technical fouls – Beverley was booed mercilessly every time he touched the ball.

Green wasn’t quite so politically correct in the heat of the moment, either, as he delivered a jarring screen to Beverley’s shoulder on the next possession that sent the 27-year-old flying to the floor. But if Green appreciates anything, it’s a player who is willing to play with the kind of intensity that may rub his opponents the wrong way.

In that regard, they are kindred spirits.

“At the end of the day, and I’m saying this as a defender, sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Green continued. “He can’t go out there and just try to play nice. If he goes out there and plays nice, Steph Curry is going to give him 40 (points). He’s got to go out there and rough him up a bit. Look how the (Detroit) Pistons used to do (Michael) Jordan. You’ve got to rough him up a little bit and ruffle the feathers. But one thing about Curry is that – just like Mike – they respond to that.

“As competitors, they’re going to respond to that. I think (Curry) has gotten more confident within himself, like ‘All right, if you want to do it, I’m not scared. If that’s where you want to go, let’s take it there.’”

Did he ever. Curry, who had 24 points in the first half before playing two second-half minutes because of an ankle injury, seemed to be fueled by the exchange. And the Warriors, in turn, led 60-33 at halftime and were on their way.

Stephen Curry says he's playing in Game 2

Yet afterward, Green wasn’t the only Warriors player who took Beverley’s antics in stride. Backup point guard Shaun Livingston, for one, spoke highly of the rugged defender who has carved out a nice career after being drafted in the second round in 2009 out of Arkansas.

“He’s not going to back down,” Livingston told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s one of the guys, probably, with the most character on their team, kind of like their heart and soul, like their Draymond. That’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s supposed to go out there and play to win. And if that’s what he’s supposed to do, then he’ll probably be the first one to do it.”

And Curry, quite clearly, won’t be backing down. After the two exchanged shoves, Curry could be seen saying “Let’s go!” as he walked back toward his defender. It showed a different side of a star who is so often seen as nothing more than a finesse player.

“There was a little back and forth, got tangled up and it felt like it was a little too much, so I protected myself and moved on,” Curry said in describing the situation.

Curry was then asked if he considered Beverley dirty.

“No, he's an aggressive player,” he continued. “He plays hard. He tried to get under your skin with certain things he does, but that's kind of his MO. I wouldn't call it dirty at all.

“For me, he doesn't try to hurt me or do anything like that, but there is going to be physicality and some back and forth. Hopefully the league doesn't go in another direction where that's not a part of playoff basketball. I hope we don't get a tech every game, but I like that back and forth.”

Warriors rout Rockets in Game 1, Steph Curry injures ankle

Alas, there was at least one Warriors player who took exception to Beverley’s style: shooting guard Klay Thompson.

“I mean, yeah, we’ve all got a problem with it,” Thompson told USA TODAY Sports. “Obviously he’s not as good as Steph, so he’s going to try to do anything he can to get under his skin. That’s his game. So we won’t let it faze us, just have to stay mentally tough.”

This wasn’t the first time Beverley has been booed, though, and he’s not about to change his style on Game 2 on Monday.

“That’s how I play, man,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “Steph knows how I play. That’s how I play basketball. I’m not here trying to fight people. I’m here trying to play aggressive. But whatever happens, happens. It’s just the nature of the game. … I think the more I’m on Steph, the better team we are.”