Patrick Beverley was one of the fiercest pick-and-roll defenders in the NBA, relentlessly chasing ball handlers inside the arc and always fighting to reclaim his position. It's no wonder he's considered a top-tier defender during his prime NBA. However, like every defender, there's always that one particular offensive player that causes many problems and becomes tough to handle.
During a recent appearance on the OGs podcast, co-host Mike Miller threw Beverley an interesting question on the best player he's ever guarded, and he had one answer.
"I'm talking about nothing I can do," Beverley said . " I take that year what he [Luka Doncic] did to me in the [2021] playoffs, I took that [expletive] all summer on the chin."
He added: "[He is] just bigger and he flops, I can't touch him. … But with Luka, he flops. So I can't be physical because as soon as I am physical, he puts his head down and now they in the bonus. I think it's his mixture of his size and ability to sell calls.
Revisiting Luka vs. Pat Bev
Since their first meeting during the 2020 NBA playoffs, Pat Bev has had plenty to say about Luka Doncic . The young Mavericks star was genuinely impressed by his maiden playoff appearance, the NBA Bubble, where the Mavericks were down 2-1 against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
In a pivotal Game 4, the match was a nail-biter, going into overtime. The Slovenian led the Mavericks with 36 points going into OT and kept the momentum, scoring half of his team's points in the extra period. The climax came with just 3.7 seconds left on the clock. The Mavs were down by one when No. 77 received an inbound pass from Dorian Finney-Smith and nailed a stepback 3-pointer from 27 feet over Reggie Jackson, snatching a victory over the Clippers and tying the series at 2-2.
He ended that game with a breathtaking triple-double: 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, shooting 18-of-31 from the floor. Although Dallas lost the series in six games, Luka's heroics in Game 4 were unforgettable, especially for Beverley, who recalls the 2021 playoffs when he had to face Doncic again.
In that series, No. 77 went on another tear, averaging 35.7 points, 10.3 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game over the seven-game series. Despite the Clippers ultimately winning the series, Pat couldn't ignore that Doncic had dropped those numbers against him — something he took to heart.
A Luka special
In 10 games where the ex-Clipper has faced off against the MVP candidate, Doncic has put up an average of 24.9 ppg, nailing 30.0% of his shots from beyond the arc. Not just Bev, but most NBA defenders can attest to how insanely tough it is to defend the Slovenian.
This past season, he led the regular season in scoring, averaging 33.9 ppg. He carried the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals while facing off against the league's top defenses.
Averaging 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in the playoffs, Luka has shown that it doesn't matter what kind of defense or strategy teams throw at him. He'll always find ways to impose his will over a game.
Related: "The dude has been a professional basketball player since he's 13" - Mark Jackson breaks down what makes Luka Doncic so good in the Playoffs
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